Experiment
by NoShoesNoShirtNoSheldon
Summary: Upon realizing that Raj and Howard aren't just friends anymore, a curious Sheldon proposes to Leonard an experiment to find out if there is a difference between kissing a girl and kissing a guy. Slash. Raj/Howard, Sheldon/Leonard.
1. Chapter 1

Leonard dropped his keys in the small bowl on the table next to the door, his eyes instinctively searching for the presence of his eccentric roommate, and was unsurprised to find the man sitting in his spot, waiting impatiently.

'It's about time,' Sheldon said loftily. 'I was beginning to think the traffic might have been more severe than usual.'

'Sorry,' Leonard replied. 'Howard and Raj wanted to talk to me and wanted me to tell you they can't make it tonight.'

'What?' Sheldon's face morphed into a shocked frown, as if the thought of not being able to make it to a previously planned dinner at a Thai restaurant was highly suspicious behavior. 'Are they sick? Fatally injured?'

'No,' Leonard shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to say. Raj and Howard had wanted to talk to Leonard about their new relationship, having upgraded from 'just friends', but they seemed reluctant to tell Sheldon and the small man was unsure how to skirt around the subject. 'They, ah, decided to spend the time strengthening their… friendship.'

Sheldon accepted this without argument, although his face showed his contempt at them having pulled out last minute. His eyes followed Leonard as the man collapsed tiredly onto the sofa and pulled his trainers off, before stating, 'I want to leave now.'

The shorter physicist groaned loudly and leaned back against the cushions. 'I _just _got home and I _just _sat down, Sheldon.'

There was a short pause and Sheldon wondered why Leonard was stating the obvious before deciding to try again. 'I want to leave now, Leonard.'

The silence lengthened when Leonard decided to just ignore him, closing his eyes and resting after a hectic day of running around after Sheldon, dropping him home early, and then running around after Howard and Raj. Not literally running of course, the physicist hadn't subjected himself to that particular form of humiliation since P.E classes in his youth unless absolutely necessary. Sheldon tolerated the silence for a total of ten seconds before he began to get impatient.

'Leonard, don't ignore me,' his voice held a slightly whiny tone, as he was quite accustomed to getting everything he wanted from his roommate.

'I'll stop ignoring you when you stop ignoring my pleas for some rest,' the smaller man replied shortly, his tired mood drifting closer to an angry mood every time Sheldon opened his mouth, which seemed to be a lot.

'But Leonard-'

'Please, Shelly?' the use of the taller man's nickname that was generally only used by family had the desired effect. Sheldon's cheeks flushed very slightly and his complaints faded away. Leonard let out a content sigh, grateful to the silence. He had discovered his roommate become more compliant when the nickname was utilized; perhaps it was tied to a happy memory? Or maybe Sheldon was pleased Leonard was using a family nickname, thus declaring the two were close enough to be family. Either way, he had started using this to his advantage shamelessly, and he almost got his way as much as Sheldon now.

The taller man, meanwhile, was struggling to find a suitable topic to bring Leonard's attention back onto him. Eventually he settled on their mutual friends, although he had no real interest in the subject. He just wanted Leonard's eyes to open and focus on him again. 'Why on earth would Wolowitz and Koothrapali wish to spend time strengthening their friendship? They seem as close as they're ever going to get.'

His voice succeeded in turning Leonard's gaze on him. The tired looking man shrugged, but seemed to be watching him closely. 'I think Raj was worried that Howard wasn't interested in spending time between just the two of them anymore,' Leonard lied smoothly.

'Why would they want to spend alone time together when they see each other almost every day and spend time together with the addition of us on top of that?' Sheldon queried, looking bewildered.

'Think of it this way,' Leonard said in a soft tone. 'I like spending time with the group but I also like spending time with just you, Shelly. Its what best friends do.'

'Ah,' Sheldon replied tactfully. He was never very good at social dynamics and while he had gathered over the years that he and Leonard were in fact best friends, he hadn't considered that Raj and Howard shared the same best friend relationship as well. As he digested this information, he once again asked Leonard if they could leave.

Instead of being annoyed, Leonard only smiled slightly. The short rest had energized him enough that he felt okay about driving to the Thai restaurant and back. 'Alright, Sheldon, we'll go.'

Sheldon jumped to his feet, collecting his coat and waiting impatiently beside the door for Leonard to pull his shoes back on. Truth be told, he didn't really mind that Howard and Raj wouldn't be joining them. He looked forward to spending time with Leonard's attention focused solely on him.

He really was getting quite addicted to it.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard, Raj and Howard all looked up when Sheldon pulled out a seat beside his roommate and sat down at their usual lunch table, and Leonard greeted him with a friendly smile. Sheldon's head nodded slightly in response, before fixing Raj and Howard with a penetrating stare. 'Will you two be joining Leonard and I for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory or will you be working on your friendship again?'

'We'll be there, dude,' Raj replied as he picked up his fork. 'I'm in the mood for cheesecake anyway.'

'That's not all you're in the mood for,' Leonard snickered, earning identical glares from the Indian/Jew duo. Sheldon's forehead crinkled in confusion as he considered the shorter man's statement. What else would Raj be in the mood for? Paintball?

'Drop it Leonard,' Howard hissed across the table, his glare never wavering. 'Not here, okay?'

'I told you we shouldn't have told him,' Raj pouted quietly. 'Now we're never going to hear the end of it.'

'You're the one who brought up the idea of telling him and talked me into it,' Howard argued, frowning at the man beside him. 'But you freaked out last second and I had to talk _you_ into it.'

Raj decided not to give that statement a response and started to attack his lunch again, not noticing Leonard's amused look and Sheldon's confused stare. As Leonard contemplated how the pair acted much like an old married couple, Sheldon began to realise something was going on that he was unaware of. He debated whether to just ask, but judging from Raj's little speech on how Leonard shouldn't know, he doubted they would tell him. Maybe he could ask Leonard when they were alone if he couldn't figure it out. As he was mulling it over, a short figure stepped up beside the table, leaned over, planted her hand on the table and fixed her stare onto Howard and Raj.

'I think congratulations are in order,' Leslie smirked at them, before acknoledging the other two's presence with a, 'Hey Leonard, hey Dumbass.'

Before Sheldon could sputter out a horribly concocted comeback, Howard reached out and gripped the sleeve of Leslie's sweater, a look of panic on his and Raj's face. 'How the hell do you know? No one is supposed to know!' he suddenly looked at Leonard, his eyes narrowing. 'You told!'

Leslie freed her sleeve with a look of amusement. 'I saw you two, actually, late last night before you left for home.' She grinned and patted their shoulders. 'I hope it works out for you.'

'I don't suppose anybody is going to enlighten me on what that was about?' Sheldon asked disdainfully as she departed, using one of his many napkins to wipe the spot on the table where her hand had rested. Raj and Howard both shook their heads, and hurried their way through their lunch. Leonard laughed and clapped Sheldon on the shoulder.

'Not a chance, buddy.'

Sheldon huffed and took a sip from his soda can, his curiosity about Raj and Howard taking a back burner as he marvelled at the fact he was so tolerant towards being touched now. Before he had met Leonard, he had not allowed anyone but close family to touch him, and even then reluctantly. And now he allowed people to hug him, to touch his shoulder, even to fall asleep on him after a particularly stressful day. Granted, he only allowed Leonard to do such things, but it was still progress, right?

**xoxo**

Sheldon first began to realise the truth at dinner when Penny had arrived to take their orders and no bad pick up lines escaped Howard's mouth. They ordered their usual plates and chatted about Lord of the Rings as they waited, because apparently Raj had just re-watched the movies. Sheldon watched intensely as Raj cracked a joke and Howard laughed, and then patted the Indian's wrist in apparent appreciation for the joke. But his hand lingered a few seconds longer than needed and his thumb gently rubbed Raj's wrist before he removed it. When they looked at each other and smiled, Sheldon noted their eyes were dilated, indicating attraction.

Penny brought their orders and departed, and they started eating. Sheldon began to add up all the things that hadn't made sense and came to a shocking conclusion. He wondered if he should bring it up, then decided it would be rude to let them go around thinking he didn't know, when in fact he did. 'So,' he ventured, and they both looked at him. 'When did you two start dating?'

Raj began to choke on his cheesecake and Howard spluttered incoherently. Leonard looked at him with a slight smile, appreciating that Sheldon had actually worked it out when he was horrible at social conventions. As Howard hit Raj on the back, he glared at Leonard. 'You told?'

'No!' Leonard frowned at him, then at Raj who had just regained control of himself. 'I didn't tell anyone. You guys know I would never do something like that.'

Sheldon noted Leonard's distressed look and stared at Howard. 'He didn't tell me. If there's one good thing about Leonard its his ability to keep secrets.' In fact, that was something Sheldon envied him about. No one told Sheldon any secrets because he was horrible at keeping them. The shorter physicist smiled at him. 'I figured it out for myself. Spending time alone together, increased touching, not to mention your pupils dilate when you look at each other. I would say it's quite obvious.'

Howard scowled down at his plate but Raj, who thought it was useless to hide it since everyone at the table knew, reached out and took his boyfriend's hand gently, hoping he wouldn't get in a bad mood. Howard seemed embarrassed at the show of affection in front of their two friends but squeezed Raj's hand in response, making the darker man smile. Leonard watched them with an odd pang in his chest. It had been a while since he'd been in a relationship, not since he and Penny had last broken up. He kind of missed the intimacy, the love. In fact, the only person he was really affectionate towards was Sheldon, who generally felt uncomfortable when if Leonard went to far. But he did allow the Leonard to hug him, to lean his head on the taller man's shoulder and fall asleep after a bad day. As if sensing his thoughts, Sheldon turned to look at him, and Leonard smiled at him. For once, Sheldon actually smiled back.

'You two never answered my question,' Sheldon said some time later, after they had resumed eating. The couple seemed confused, so he elaborated, 'When did you two start dating?'

There was a slight pause as they looked at each other, and even without speaking they seemed to communicate. Apparently they decided Howard would tell the story, because he broke eye contact first and looked at Sheldon again. 'Well, the night we said we had to work late so couldn't go to HALO night? We actually went out to dinner. I kind of planned it to… seduce Raj, I guess. We went back to his apartment to watch a movie and next thing you know we wind up in bed.'

Both men were grinning in an embarrassed way, and Raj spoke up. 'So we decided to see where it would lead us and set a date, and that was the night we bailed out on dinner at the Thai food restaurant. It went well so… Here we are.'

At this, Howard smiled at him and they squeezed hands again, causing the odd pang in Leonard's chest to come back, and Sheldon to shift uncomfortably. The mention of the two in bed had given him mental images, and he was desperate to get it out of his head. In his mind he saw Raj lean down, trace a finger lightly over Howard's collarbone, an intake of breath, and then their lips met, melding together, bodies entwining and- Sheldon closed his eyes, trying to force it out of his head, when a sudden thought struck him. What would it be like to kiss a man? Would it be similar to kissing a woman? It seemed like it would be the same, if you just let go. He couldn't really ask Raj or Howard, not without gaining more, and possibly worse, mental images. Maybe he could ask Leonard? But then again, he didn't think the shorter physicist had kissed another man…

As Sheldon mulled it over, the four men finished their dinner. Raj, Howard and Leonard chatted comfortably; not minding that Sheldon was pretty much ignoring them. They recognised when he was thinking deeply, and the Indian/Jew duo were secretly glad he'd stopped drilling them on their relationship.

As they were driving home, Leonard left Sheldon to his thoughts, who was staring intently out the window. Leonard glanced over at him every now and again, as he was so quiet the shorter man was worried he might stop breathing or something. Sheldon, who was aware of everything even as he was thinking, around him, noticed the glances and the corners of his lips raised slightly. It was nice to be worried about. They were nearly home when Sheldon decided on the next course of action. He knew himself better than anyone, so he knew he wouldn't be able to function properly if he didn't find an answer to his question. And he knew asking people would only create images and make him uncomfortable. So… he'd have to find out himself.

Sheldon sat down at his spot as soon as they entered the apartment, and he patted the space next to him. 'Leonard, come sit down. I have something I want to ask.' Leonard seemed confused at this turn of events; normally they'd both be getting ready for bed right now. But he sat down where his roommate had indicated without question. Sheldon paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking again. 'While watching Koothrappali and Wolowitz flaunt their new relationship status, I wondered what it would be like to kiss another man.'

'And you're asking me?' Leonard raised an eyebrow. 'I haven't kissed a man, Sheldon. I don't know.'

'I realise that your previous sexual encounters, limited as they may be, have all been with women,' the taller man acknowledged. 'However, that's not what I was getting at. I want to propose an experiment.'

'What kind of experiment?' Leonard asked slowly, a suspicious look on his face.

'Under the Roommate Agreement, section 56-a, it states that if I am unable to solve a problem on my own and need you, you will help me,' Sheldon said matter-of-factly. Leonard frowned in response, almost grasping what the man was about to ask. 'I am curious as to how kissing a man would differ to kissing a woman. Seeing as I cannot find this out on my own, I want you to help me.'

'You want me to kiss you?' Leonard exclaimed, shocked. 'What the hell, Sheldon! Why cant you just ask Raj or Howard to explain how it feels?'

'Unacceptable,' the other man responded coolly. 'I would not be able to do so without wanting to hit my head against the wall repeatedly afterwards.'

'Ask someone else to kiss you!'

'Also unacceptable,' Sheldon raised an eyebrow, noting Leonard's distressed demeanour. 'I dislike being touched by anyone other than yourself.'

'You haven't even kissed a woman,' Leonard snapped, crossing his arms. He felt almost trapped, as if Sheldon's reasoning was so good that he _had _to do it. As a result, his temper flared. He didn't have to do anything, even if it was under the Roommate Agreement.

'Contrary to popular belief, I have kissed a few women in my time, Leonard,' Sheldon argued.

'No, Sheldon,' Leonard growled. 'Just no.'

As the taller man launched into a full-scale argument to try and convince the shorter one, Leonard closed his eyes and tried to think, a difficult thing to do when Sheldon was rattling on in the background. The man had never even shown an interest in anything to do with kissing, why now? And why with him? Sure, they were more affectionate than they appeared, but Sheldon hated showing any affection in public. Leonard usually restricted their hugs to when they were alone and comfortable. Why would the man think Leonard had any interest in men? Its not like he was gay. He'd dated Penny, had sex with her, and Leslie for that matter. But… Leonard realised he wasn't all that opposed to the idea of kissing another man either. And although Sheldon was annoying and frustrating and obnoxious, deep down he was in fact caring and charmingly naïve when it came to anything social.

'…Furthermore, if you are worried about being questioned on your sexual preference, you do not have to tell anyone, or-'

'Sheldon,' Leonard interrupted, his voice scratchy with sudden nerves. 'If I do this, will you shut the hell up?'

There was a pause where Sheldon looked surprised, as if he hadn't really expected the other physicist to agree so readily. 'Naturally, Leonard. I believe it would be rather hard to speak if my lips were otherwise occupied.'

The shorter man took a breath, trying not to think about what he was about to do and failing miserably. His stomach jolted, and his heart rate increased as he slowly leaned forward and reached out to Sheldon. Leonard placed his hand on the back of the taller man's neck, drawing him down so he could reach his face. Their lips were close, and Leonard hovered there, drawing out the tension, and then he brushed his lips, very lightly, against Sheldon's, and then again and again. Their eyes were closed but the smaller man felt it with the other man drew in a tiny gasp, and just as he did, Leonard pressed their lips together hard, almost possessively, and the intensity of the kiss skyrocketed. Unexpectedly, Leonard felt sparks of attraction surface, and he realised he was enjoying the kiss. He was kissing Sheldon, and he liked it. He felt as if butterflies had taken residence in his stomach and he could barely hear over the pounding of his own heart. He felt himself grow semi-hard as he took a risk and slid his tongue along Sheldon's lower lip.

The other man shivered at the touch, but didn't protest, his mouth opening to allow access. Leonard gripped Sheldon harder, overcome with a sudden need to be closer, to take this further. Listening to the urge, he shifted without breaking the kiss and boldly straddled the other man's lap. He almost groaned when he felt Sheldon's hands hesitantly rest on his waist, and he took that as a cue to further the kiss. As Leonard flicked his tongue against the other physicist's, he shifted his weight and abruptly felt something move beneath him, something growing hard and… Oh God.

Sheldon felt the unbelievable attraction of the kiss change to panic as his arousal grew. He wasn't in control; he couldn't understand what was happening. He felt Leonard shift his hands to grip his shoulders firmly and the panic grew. He broke the kiss suddenly and turned his face away, his breathing erratic, his face flushed. 'Leonard, I'm uncomfortable.' His hands dropped from Leonard's waist to his sides.

The shorter man drew back, staring at Sheldon's face, but the man refused to meet his eyes. Disappointment replaced desire as he did so. The strange twisting in his stomach was a new feeling, normally he had only felt this way about Penny, about women, but the kiss had awakened something buried deep inside him and he saw Sheldon in a whole new perspective. The man's lips were fuller than usual, slightly bruised from the harsh kiss, and Leonard had to resist the urge to capture them again. 'I'm sorry.'

'I wish to retire to bed now,' Sheldon stated stiffly, unsure how he should be acting around his roommate now. Was it normal to be this nervous?

'Sure,' Leonard slid off him, his disappointment growing. He was such an idiot for pushing Sheldon so far. He should have taken it slow, allowed the man to get used to the sensation, but instead he had rushed into it, and now look what was happening. Sheldon was leaving for his bedroom without another word, leaving Leonard alone with these strange new feelings. As Sheldon's bedroom door clicked shut, Leonard leaned back against the couch with a groan. Why the hell was he suddenly so attracted to him? It was just a kiss. An experiment. He tried to picture Penny, imagining her soft lips against his, but instead of feeling aroused, he just felt hollow. Leonard swallowed and croaked out a soft, 'Oh God.'

**Hey guys. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's rather difficult to write about Sheldon, he's such a complex character. I hope I didn't mess it up too bad.**

**Just as a warning, there will be sex in later chapters. I have never written sex between two men before so bear with me. Fingers crossed it won't be totally horrid.**

**I appreciate any feedback you have so feel free to review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disappointed I have to point this out but, THIS IS SLASH, PEOPLE. GUY ON GUY. ULTIMATE MAN LOVE. If you don't like that, don't read it. It's that simple.**

**For the rest of you, thank you for your amazing reviews, I loved them all!**

When Leonard woke up the next morning, he felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Still groggy from sleep, he first assumed he'd caught some kind of illness, until he remembered the kiss and how he'd screwed everything up. He didn't know how he could face Sheldon, but he dragged himself out of bed anyway and stumbled towards the bathroom, where he relieved his bladder and started brushing his teeth. As he was scrubbing, he heard the door open and Sheldon enter, who froze when he saw Leonard standing at the sink. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other in the mirror, before Sheldon muttered, 'I apologise,' and backed out, closing the door behind him. Leonard wanted to call him back but with a mouthful of foam it was impossible. Sighing, he spat into the sink, grateful that the man wasn't ignoring him. That was something.

After they had both gotten ready and were heading to the car, Sheldon started to ramble on about a new comic book he wanted. Leonard couldn't really get a word in edge wise, as the taller man was talking so quickly, but it was better than silence, even if there was an awkward feeling still around them. He wondered idly if things would ever go back to normal, if they would be able to be in each other's company without feeling awkward or remembering the kiss. The drive to work was almost comfortable, as Sheldon slowly reverted back to his normal self after being distracted by a new building they passed. He seemed to have forgotten about what had happened, as he started asking Leonard questions and allowing the other man to take part in the conversation.

Things were fine until lunch, when they arrived at the table to find Raj and Howard holding hands again, although trying to be discreet and hiding it under the table. Sheldon and Leonard both sat down, both thinking the same thing and both desperately avoiding each other's gaze. They both began to eat their lunch quietly, ignoring each other, when Raj spoke up. 'Are you okay, dude?' the question was directed at Sheldon, because while Leonard did sometimes go quiet, it was highly unusual for Sheldon to actually shut up, unless he was deep in though, but when that happened he had his 'thinking' face on. Today he just looked uncomfortable.

'I'm fine,' he replied, keeping his eyes firmly locked on his food. Leonard glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and almost smiled at how amusing Sheldon looked. His grip on his fork was extra tight and his shoulders were shaking with the effort to try and look like everything was normal. Raj and Howard glanced at Leonard curiously; silently asking him what was up.

'His alarm clock broke,' Leonard lied, glancing away from Sheldon, who had looked up. 'I had to go into his room to wake him up and he had a tantrum.'

'Oh yeah, sounds like him,' Howard snickered. 'So that's why he's like this? He's angry at you?'

'Or the alarm clock,' Leonard shrugged.

'Excuse me,' Sheldon snapped, turning in his chair to face Leonard, who felt his stomach jolt. 'I do not throw tantrums, I simply do not like my alarm clocks failing nor do I like you anywhere near my room!'

At least he's sticking to the lie, Leonard thought wearily as he tried to invent a comeback. It was surprisingly harder than normal. 'Trying to hit me when I shook you awake wasn't a tantrum?' he finally said, arching a brow at the other man.

'The last time I was awoken in such a manner was when my sister and I were 15,' Sheldon grumbled. 'And she then proceeded to get revenge for my previous experiments on her hair products.' At the silence that followed this, he elaborated, 'her hair turned green for a month.'

'Oh man,' Howard murmured to Raj, leaning towards him, as if he were trying to hide their conversation from the other two, who could hear it perfectly. 'They argue like a married couple.'

Leonard took in a sharp breath at this, and immediately began to choke on his lunch. Sheldon was torn between helping Leonard and being embarrassed at the couple reference. He settled for both, patting his roommate on the back even as he stared determinedly at the opposite wall, a slight flush on his cheeks.

'Dude, what the hell is you guys' problem?' Raj frowned at them, even as Leonard took great gulps of his soda and tried to breathe properly. Sheldon said nothing, and returned his hand to his lap. Howard glanced between them with raised eyebrows, before discreetly slipping his phone out of his pocket and tapping out a text to Raj. The Indian jumped when his phone vibrated moments later, and hurriedly pulled it out, to see Howard's message. _I think something might be going on there!_

Raj grinned in response, looking at Leonard and Sheldon, then back to his boyfriend. _Why don't we mess with them some more?_ He messaged back, and when Howard read it, he nodded with an identical grin. They both looked at the roommates and Howard cleared his throat. 'Why don't you just apologise, Leonard? We don't want this to come between you two's _relationship_, do we?'

Leonard flushed and glared at the Jew, who was trying to hold back his laughter. 'Because I have nothing to apologise for! I was making sure he wasn't late for work, it's not my fault he tortured his sister when they were younger.'

'Oh come on, guys,' Raj smirked. 'Why don't you two just kiss and make up?'

Sheldon slammed his fork down on the table and Leonard buried his face in his hands. There was silence for a few moments, before Sheldon got up and left, claiming he wasn't hungry and had to get back to work. The Indian/Jew duo both looked at Leonard curiously. Howard finally took pity on him and said gently, 'so when did it happen?'

'I don't know what you're talking about,' came the grumbled reply.

'Oh come on, dude,' Raj rolled his eyes. 'Its rather obvious something happened between you two so spill. When did it happen?'

'Last night,' Leonard admitted, lifting his head from his hands. He felt defeated, as if nothing he could do could make things right again. 'We… kissed. He was the one who talked me into it and then he bloody pushed me off him and left!'

'You've got to remember this is Sheldon you're dealing with,' Howard said. 'He's completely insane.'

'His mother had him tested,' Leonard said automatically, which made the other two grin.

'Listen,' Howard sighed. 'I'm not good at giving advice, but Sheldon has probably had little to none experience in the field of relationships, or kissing for that matter. While he's an adult in mind and body, sexually he's probably still in pubescent stages. You're going to have to ease him into it.'

'You're right, I know,' Leonard pushed his food around with his fork, staring at his plate. 'I did push it too far. I just wasn't expecting it to be so…'

'Amazing?' Raj smirked.

'Arousing?' Howard suggested.

'Pretty much,' Leonard admitted. 'I just don't know what to do, you know? Everything is so awkward now and I have no idea what's going through his mind.'

'Its HALO night tonight,' Raj shrugged. 'He'll be in a good mood after kicking our butts, so corner him after we leave. Make him talk to you about it.'

'You know, I think I will,' Leonard put down his fork, making up his mind. 'I'll make him talk to me about it.' With that said, he excused himself and left the table, already deciding what he was going to say when the moment came.

xoxoxo

_Knock-knock-knock._

'Penny.'

_Knock-knock-knock._

'Penny.'

_Knock-knock-knock._

'Penny.'

The door opened and Penny smiled at Sheldon, her hand on her hip. 'Oh hey, Sheldon. What's up?'

Sheldon looked as if he were chewing a particularly sour wedge of lemon for a few moments before he grumbled, 'I can't believe I have to do this but… I've come to ask for your help.'

His words caused a grin to slide onto Penny's face, who opened the door wider to let him inside. 'Oh really? What can I help you with?' she shut the door behind him, feeling slightly superior. The great Sheldon was asking her for help, and she giggled at the thought. 'Come sit down.'

Sheldon sat obligingly in his 'spot' he had chosen for Penny's apartment, and the woman sat on the couch, crossing her legs and getting comfortable. 'What's up, Sheldon?'

'I proposed an experiment and it went horribly wrong,' Sheldon whined, and Penny closed her eyes. She had been expecting something about a girl, not to do with his work. Why would she be any help with experiments?

'Sweetie, I don't know anything about your work, maybe if you ask Leonard-'

'I can't ask Leonard, he was part of the experiment!' Sheldon interrupted, frustrated. Why had he come to Penny for help? There was no way she would understand the complex emotions he was feeling, could she? But then again, she was about the only person he knew who would help him without making fun of him. He could imagine perfectly clear the taunts and jokes he would get if he went to Koothrappali or Wolowitz. Sighing, Sheldon tried again. 'I happened to witness two men holding hands and was curious as to how kissing a man would differ from kissing a woman.'

'Right…' Penny nodded, looking confused. 'Go on?'

'I decided to ask Leonard for help last night and something went wrong-'

'Wait!' Penny interrupted, excited. 'Are you telling me you asked Leonard to kiss you?'

'Very good,' Sheldon praised. 'I dare say you're getting the hang of this.'

'Oh my god, Sheldon! That's a big deal!' Penny leaned forward. 'What happened?'

'Well, Leonard agreed and we kissed,' Sheldon paused for a moment, trying to gain some composure and knowing that his cheeks were flushing. 'But things began to happen and I didn't know what was going on, I wasn't in control and I began to panic,' he looked at Penny, who made a sympathetic noise. 'So I left to my room and things have been awkward ever since.'

'Oh Sweetie,' Penny shook her head slowly. 'You must be so confused.'

'Thus why I came here,' Sheldon replied stiffly.

'Well,' the blonde woman tilted her head, trying to think. 'What happened that made you so confused?'

'It was an experiment,' Sheldon replied. 'I know many people think that kissing is tied in with emotions but I thought I would be able to look at the kiss with a completely scientific mindset.'

'And…?' Penny prompted gently.

'And the kiss began to arouse both of us,' the tall man stared at the wall, trying to control his embarrassment at admitting such a thing. 'Leonard completely took control over the kiss and went far further than I expected. The experiment was supposed to be a kiss only, and suddenly we were both entertaining thoughts of more. I don't understand how I could let my emotions gain control over me.'

'That's what happens when you get aroused, Sweetie,' the blonde woman smiled slightly, trying not to feel awkward talking about this with Sheldon of all people. 'You lose control. And it's a scary thing at first but after a while you learn there are benefits of doing so.'

'Like what?' Sheldon asked sceptically.

'Orgasms,' Penny answered bluntly. She sighed and shook her head. 'Look, Sweetie, obviously you and Leonard are attracted to each other, and obviously you have problems with not being in control, so why don't you just be in control the next time you kiss?'

'What do you mean?' Sheldon frowned.

'You initiate the kiss, you decide how far it goes, and you make sure Leonard knows that you're in control,' Penny shrugged. 'I always thought Leonard would tend to be submissive if he were with someone dominant anyway.'

'Interesting,' Sheldon said slowly. 'How would I make sure he knows I'm in control?'

'I don't know, Sheldon,' Penny frowned. 'Uh, maybe every time he tries to take control, pull away? Or you could just tell him.'

'Thank you, Penny, for your help,' Sheldon got ready to stand, before hesitating. 'There's just… One more thing.'

'Yes?' she raised an eyebrow.

'I suddenly find it hard to think about things other than him, and not all of my thoughts are sexual. Is this normal?'

'Oh, Sweetie,' Penny smiled brightly, standing and going over to him to give him a hug. 'What you're experiencing is feelings, romantic ones, for Leonard.'

'You mean like what he felt for you when you two were dating?' Sheldon frowned at the thought.

'Yes,' Penny nodded. 'Like that.'

'I see…' Sheldon looked at her, and then stood. 'Thank you again, Penny. Your advice had been invaluable.'

'Are you going to kiss him again?' Penny queried with a grin.

'Yes,' he replied mater-of-factly, before patting her shoulder in a goodbye gesture and leaving.

Penny smiled as she closed the door behind him, finding herself happy that Leonard had finally found someone who was right for him. 'Good for you, Leonard,' she said aloud to her empty apartment. 'Good for you.'

xoxoxo

'Raj, shoot! He's right behind you!'

'I am shooting! I can't see him!'

'For God's sake Sheldon, don't shoot at me, I'm on _your _team!'

'You're holding me back!'

Leonard could barely even think about what he had to do later on that night while desperately trying to evade not only Howard and Raj's fire, but Sheldon's as well. He felt aches in his hands from frantically pressing buttons, but ignored it. It'd been a while since they had played HALO as a group and he was determined to enjoy it, even if Sheldon was being an ass.

Getting fed up, Leonard made his character on screen swivel round and shoot at Sheldon's character. The man let out a soft squeak-like noise when he realised that Leonard had just killed him. Ignoring the fact he was about to re-spawn, he set down his controller and looked at his roommate, his expression seemingly hurt. 'You… You killed me!'

'You shot at me first!' Leonard frowned, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt that washed over him when he saw Sheldon's face. Normally he was more resistant than this. Trying to focus on killing Raj and Howard was becoming increasingly difficult when he was sitting so close to Sheldon, when he could smell him, almost touch him.

'Dead, suckers!' Raj jumped up, pumping the air and then high fiving Howard. 'We kicked your asses!'

'That's not fair, Leonard shot me!' Sheldon whined. 'We have to have a re-match.'

'Sorry,' Howard stood and placed his controller on the table. 'We're going to split, get some alone time,' he winked at Leonard as he said this, who scowled in response. Sheldon watched as the two gathered their things and left the apartment, and then looked at Leonard.

'Its becoming difficult to do things with them when they are constantly wanting to be on their own,' he complained as he started to pick up empty cans of energy drink and put them in the bin.

'Yeah, well,' Leonard shrugged as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. 'Sex beats HALO.'

'I hardly see why,' Sheldon grumbled as he turned off the TV.

'Of course you wouldn't,' Leonard rolled his eyes and unscrewed the cap, taking a gulp of water. Sheldon glanced over at him.

'I'm going to read a paper in my bedroom, if you need me,' he told him. The shorter man raised an eyebrow. Since when did Sheldon inform Leonard on what he was doing when he left the room? The man left for his room and Leonard sighed, leaning against the counter. He was supposed to be confronting Sheldon, but he didn't have the nerve to. He tapped his fingers on the counter, thinking. Maybe if he did something that Sheldon would like, get him in a better mood. Then he'd be more open for talking. What would Sheldon like?

Leonard smiled slightly as a sudden thought hit him. Sheldon enjoyed having milk and cookies late at night, but since neither of them could really be bothered baking, the occasion was a rare oddity. Leonard didn't really know how to bake, and didn't want to screw it up, so he grabbed his keys and walked out to his car, driving to a convenience store near their apartment. He bought a box of cookies that looked home made and then drove back, trying not to panic. He knew when he went back into the apartment he would have to talk to Sheldon about the kiss. 'Oh God, oh God,' Leonard muttered to himself as he was climbing the stairs, his panic rising. Taking a shuddering breath as he reached his door and grabbed the handle, he forced himself to calm down. 'It's only Sheldon, for crying out loud.'

He tried not to think about anything as he put some of the cookies onto a plate and poured out a glass of milk. As an after thought he warmed it slightly, before taking a deep breath and approaching Sheldon's bedroom door. There was a slight pause in which Leonard panicked; he didn't have a free hand with which to open to door. Awkwardly holding the glass of milk by pressing it against his side with an elbow, he used his newly free hand to knock gently.

'Come in.'

Leonard opened the door and then grabbed the milk with his free hand so he could walk in. He closed the door behind him using his foot and stepped over to the bed, feeling awkward. Sheldon was sitting upright on top of the covers, paper in hand, but he was no longer reading it, instead watching Leonard curiously. Clearing his throat, the shorter man offered the plate and glass. 'I brought milk and cookies, if you want some.'

Sheldon took them, a smile coming to his face and he set them down on his beside table, took a cookie and bit into it. 'Thank you, Leonard, I appreciate it.'

'So listen…' Leonard sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands and willing himself to just go through with it. 'I think we need to talk about this. About…' he hesitated, before plunging forward. 'About the kiss.'

'I agree,' Sheldon put the half eaten cookie back onto the plate, brushed crumbs off his hands and set the paper he had been reading aside. 'There seems to have been some awkwardness between us since that particular event.'

'I know,' Leonard glanced up at him, flushing slightly when their eyes met. 'I realise I pushed you too far and I apologise.'

'Apology accepted,' Sheldon nodded at him.

Trying to lighten the situation, Leonard asked with a forced grin, 'well, what were your findings?'

'Inconclusive,' the taller man stated. 'Although I found kissing a man far more enjoyable than kissing a woman, I do not know if its men in general, or just you.'

Leonard blinked, hardly daring to breathe. _Did he just…? _Before he could ask, Sheldon's hand shot out and grabbed the front of the smaller man's shirt and pulled. Leonard allowed himself to be pulled closer, his cheeks flushing darkly as he croaked out, 'w-what are you doing?'

'Penny told me to take control this time,' Sheldon said matter-of-factly. 'So I'm taking control.' Before Leonard could even begin to wonder about that statement, Sheldon had pressed their lips together and the other man ceased to care very much. He shifted so he could grab Sheldon by his shoulders, feeling a certain possessiveness flare in his chest, but the taller man broke off the kiss and shook his head. 'Lay down.'

Leonard shivered at the firm tone and did what he was told, stretching out on the bed and staring up at Sheldon, who was staring down at him. The man's slender fingers reached out and very gently removed the smaller physicist's glasses, setting them down beside the plate of cookies. Leonard's vision went blurry, but he found it added to the excitement, not really knowing what was coming next. It was almost like being blindfolded. Sheldon leaned down and kissed him again, and Leonard was surprised when he felt the man's tongue moving along his lip. Leonard reached up and slid his hand through the taller man's hair, and felt him shiver in response.

Leonard smiled against Sheldon's lips. He could get used to this.

**It's weird how much I wanted to write this chapter, but kept purposely avoiding it. I guess I'm worried I'll stuff it up. I was going to go more in-depth with the game, but then realised I know nothing about HALO. Oh well.**

**Reviews are muchly welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I dedicate this chapter to the lovely Ashlee (Resacon1990), who is also an avid Shelnard fan and pretty much gave me the whole idea for this chapter and helped me flesh it out. **

After their second kiss, Leonard and Sheldon had pretty much reverted back to their normal selves. There was no more awkwardness between them; just a silent acknowledgment there was something going on beneath the surface. They hadn't kissed a third time but then again, they hadn't really had a chance to. The morning had been hectic because, ironically, Sheldon's alarm clock had failed and they both woke up late. They hadn't got a chance at lunch because Raj and Howard wouldn't leave them alone; they were intent on holding a meaningless debate on the merits of the X Men powers, and which ones they would want if they could choose. When they got home from work, Penny had come over and asked to join them for "Anything Can Happen Thursday". Soon after, Raj and Howard had arrived, claiming they were going to watch an X Men marathon along with pizza, inspired by their earlier debate. So Leonard sat through several movies, not really paying attention to them at all, tortured by the fact Sheldon was right _there_, right beside him, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. What's more, the taller man didn't even seem to be bothered at all by the lack of intimacy they'd experienced that day. He was actually watching the movies with interest.

As the credits rolled on the last movie, all five of them stretched and began to chat, but Leonard was starting to get frustrated. He wanted them to leave so he could have privacy. He wanted them to leave so he could throw Sheldon on the couch and kiss him. Not that he'd actually do that; his nerves would always get the better of him. He never knew where he stood with Sheldon- even though he assumed they were in some sort of relationship; he didn't know how his affections would be received. It was likely Sheldon would shove him away if he wasn't in the mood. He rubbed the fabric on his shirt sleeve compulsively as he resisted the urge to shoo the others out. They would leave soon, and then he would have Sheldon all to himself. In fact, yes, Raj, Howard and Penny were all taking their leave. This was it, they would finally be alone. As Leonard contemplated what would happen, he felt a familiar sick feeling in his stomach as he started to grow nervous.

'Yes, Goodbye, Penny,' he heard Sheldon say before the man closed the door softly. Leonard looked up from his seat on the couch to watch the other physicist, who was in turn watching Leonard. They stayed like that for a while, just studying each other's expressions, before Sheldon walked over and calmly sat beside Leonard. 'Did you enjoy "Anything Can Happen Thursday"?'

'It was alright,' the smaller man fidgeted with his sleeves, trying to swallow the nervousness. By God, he should be used to this already. 'I thought they'd never leave, though,' he cracked a dry smile.

'Yes, it was rather hard to get you alone today,' Sheldon nodded, and Leonard felt his stomach jolt. Sheldon had admitted to wanting Leonard alone. Sheldon wanted him, wanted this. He smiled, but abruptly he felt long fingers on his chin, jerking his face towards Sheldon. Startled, he opened his mouth to say God knows what, but it was covered with the other man's mouth, and they were kissing, finally gloriously kissing. He felt his stomach clench and his hands drifted towards Sheldon's hair, tugging the man closer, deepening the kiss. Soon he felt himself grow aroused, and all inhibitions out the window, he began to slide onto Sheldon's lap, much as he had the first time they kissed. The tall man pulled away immediately, leaving Leonard feeling confused and rejected. 'I have to stay in control.'

'Sheldon,' Leonard frowned, his arousal cooling off as he felt a pang of annoyance. 'If we're going to be in a relationship, we have to treat each other like equals. _You _have to treat me like an equal. We both need to have an equal amount of control.'

Sheldon was expressionless, staring at him silently, and Leonard began to wonder if the man was ever going to speak. Finally, the man's face morphed into a frown, and he said coolly, 'I didn't agree to a relationship.'

Hurt and a little taken aback, Leonard pulled away from him entirely, so they weren't touching. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, too upset to really think of something to reply with. Finally, he just said, 'what is this, then?'

Sheldon raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. 'It's an experiment, Leonard. Whenever I try new things it's an experiment. Why are you acting so surprised?'

'This is still about your stupid experiment?' Leonard exclaimed, jumping off of the couch in his anger. 'For God's sake, Sheldon, your experiment was a one-kiss only thing, and in case you haven't noticed, _we kissed more than once_!' his voice rose and he clenched his fists, hurt adding to anger. The other man opened his mouth, but Leonard cut him off. 'You know what, don't bother.'

He stalked over to the door and yanked it open, grabbing his car keys and stuffing them into his pocket on the way. 'Where are you going?' Sheldon inquired, turning in his seat to stare at Leonard, who pulled on a jacket.

'I'm going for a drive,' he snapped, before storming out of the apartment and slamming the door behind him. It felt good to let off some steam, to have a tantrum and slam some doors. He never really did that as a child, his mother wouldn't respond to anything other than civilized conversation. He stomped down the stairs, not caring he probably sounded like an elephant and the neighbours would probably get annoyed. When he reached his car, he slid into the driver's seat and clicked his seatbelt into place, still fuming. The engine roared to life when he inserted and turned the key, and as he backed out of the parking space, his mind was still on Sheldon, still on the kiss. He didn't bother checking for traffic, just pulled out and started driving.

Xoxoxo

Howard smirked as he slid on top of Raj, their chests rising and falling rapidly with each breath. 'I'm going to make you scream,' he drawled in a deep voice, and watched as Raj's eyes went wide in response. He leant down to kiss those inviting lips but was distracted when his phone went off. Snarling, he reached up and grabbed it, seeing a text from another engineer. Annoyed at the interruption, he switched his phone off, and then switched Raj's phone off too. He didn't want any interruptions…

Xoxoxo

Penny cursed as she dropped her phone the exact moment she heard a knock on her door. She frantically tried to gather all the parts, as her phone had an annoying habit of falling apart when dropped, but gave up when the knock grew more impatient. 'I guess I'll just have to deal without my phone,' she muttered to herself, before pulling open her door and smiling at the man, her date, on the other side.

'You ready to go?'

'Sure,' Penny blushed. She locked the door behind her, worried a little bit about her phone. But it was just for one night, it's not like anything would go wrong.

Xoxoxo

Leonard tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, somehow growing angrier and angrier the longer he drove. Maybe it was because he kept muttering about it, not allowing himself to just forget it. Or maybe he just had a slow-reacting temper. 'Goddamn experiment, my ass.'

He wasn't sure if he missed the red light because he was so angry, or because somewhere far off he heard a woman scream and was distracted. Either way, he certainly didn't miss the car speeding towards him, and he definitely wasn't thinking about Sheldon or the scream when the two cars collided. His mind consisted of only panic but even that went away when his forehead smashed against the steering wheel and everything went red, and then black.

Xoxoxo

Sheldon was interrupted from reading a new paper and watching the door hopefully by the phone ringing. Half annoyed, half hoping it was Leonard; he reached over and picked up the phone, pressing it to his ear. 'Hello?'

'Mister Sheldon Cooper?'

'Yes,' Sheldon replied, frowning at the bossy tone.

'This is Maria from Pasadena Hospital, we have Leonard Hofstadter in our care,' the woman continued, and Sheldon had to grope behind him to find the couch and sit down before he fell over from shock. 'He was in a car accident earlier this evening.'

'Is…' Sheldon cleared his throat, finding himself overcome with a sense of panic and dread. 'Is he alright?'

'Mr Hofstadter is slightly banged up but will be fine,' the woman's tone softened slightly. 'You're his emergency contact person. You will have to make arrangements for Mr Hofstadter to get home, he's been discharged.'

'Of course,' he replied faintly, gripping the phone tighter. The woman thanked him and hung up, but he barely noticed. This was his fault, he upset Leonard, and Leonard went out driving because of it. He could have killed his best friend without even realizing. He felt the urge to see for himself that his roommate was fine, and he stood and went to Penny's apartment, knocking on the door. She would have to drive him. After a few moments he realised she wasn't going to answer the door. He tried the handle. Locked. His panic grew.

He was still holding the phone in his hand so he used it to punch in Penny's cell number, but it went immediately to voicemail. Her cell was off. Sheldon felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried Howard, got the same result, and then Raj, almost cursing when once again it went to voicemail. Maybe Penny was asleep with her phone off, and with that thought, Sheldon grabbed the spare key to her apartment and opened the door. It was empty.

His panic became frantic, and he dropped his face into his hands, shaking. What the hell was he supposed to do? Leonard was hurt, Leonard needed him, and he was stuck at their apartment building with no way to reach him. He briefly considered calling a taxi but as he looked up, he saw Penny's car keys in their usual spot. Her car was still here.

With only a vague outline of a plan in his head, he scribbled out a note and left it on the desk, grabbed her car keys, left quickly, and, stopping only to lock both apartments, he hurried down the stairs. He'd have to drive, it was likely he'd crash as well but hey, at least he'd be with Leonard at the hospital. If he didn't die. When he slid into the driver's seat, he didn't bother adjusting mirrors or seats. He let instinct take over and turned on the car, surprised at how natural it felt to be driving when he wasn't constantly going over every fact he knew about driving in his mind, or worrying over the 'check engine' light. He was too busy worrying about Leonard for that. He felt proud of himself when he finally pulled into the hospital's car park without breaking any of the road rules or causing any accidents, but the feeling was wiped from his mind when he started hurrying towards the building. He had to find Leonard.

When inside, a woman guided him to a waiting room where he found his roommate, who was sitting heavily in a chair, and seemed to be asleep. Leonard's eyes were closed, but Sheldon could see a nasty cut on his forehead which had been stitched, and bruises along one side of his face. His left pant leg had been cut open and Sheldon could see his foot was bandaged, but that seemed to be the extent of his injuries, although he had no glasses on. The woman spoke up quietly, 'he only has a fractured ankle, that cut on his head, and bruising. He's been given pain medication and anti-biotic for the cut. He should be fine with some rest.'

'Thank you,' Sheldon responded, and at the sound of his voice, Leonard's eyes flickered open. They were clouded with pain and exhaustion, but he managed a tentative smile in greeting. Sheldon didn't smile back, only strode forwards and gently pulled the smaller man into a hug, careful of his injuries. Leonard let out a sigh, relaxing into Sheldon's embrace. The taller man pulled Leonard into a standing position and allowed him to lean on him as the woman went to fetch crutches. She brought them back and Leonard managed to get to the car in one piece, without needing Sheldon's help. He stared at the empty driver's seat for a moment, before looking at his roommate.

'This is Penny's car, where is she?'

'I don't know. I drove here after finding her car keys in her apartment.'

'You stole her car?' Leonard asked incredulously as Sheldon helped him settle into the passenger's seat. The other man snorted disdainfully.

'I did not _steal_ her car, I merely borrowed it,' he shut the door and then walked around the car, sitting in the driver's seat. 'I left a note, and besides, I believe my rudeness can be overlooked because of the extreme circumstances.'

'Sheldon,' Leonard gripped his hands tightly together as the other man started the car. 'I _really_ don't want to be in another accident.'

'Have faith, Leonard,' Sheldon shook his head as he pulled out of the car park and onto the road. 'I got here in one piece, didn't I?'

'True,' the smaller man admitted, staring at his roommate. 'Hey, looks like you've finally got the hang of it.'

Sheldon shrugged, focusing on his driving. He was determined not to get in an accident, once was enough for Leonard. Taking the shrug as a subtle hint to shut up, Leonard stared out the window, occasionally wincing when the car went over a bump and jolted his fractured ankle. They travelled the rest of the way to their apartment in relative silence, but the journey up the stairs was less smooth. Leonard, who hadn't quite got the hang of the crutches yet, nearly fell several times. Each time Sheldon was the only thing stopping him tumbling down the stairs and possibly injuring him even more. Leonard was sweating by the time they reached their floor, and they saw that Penny was standing at the door, looking pale and worried.

'Leonard!' she cried, rushing forward and capturing him in a hug. 'I was so worried, I got Sheldon's note and I'm so sorry my phone was off, I shouldn't have been so careless!'

Leonard stumbled when she grabbed him, caught off balance and almost falling, if it weren't for Sheldon's hand on his back, supporting him. 'It's okay, Penny, it's not your fault. I'm fine, see?' he smiled at her, but Penny and Sheldon could both see the pain lurking behind the cheerful expression.

'Let's just get you inside,' she replied, and Sheldon unlocked the apartment door, leading them both inside. They both helped Leonard settle on the couch with his foot propped up, and he relaxed into the cushions with a grateful sigh. Sheldon handed Penny her car keys.

'I apologise for taking your car without asking,' he told her seriously. 'But I didn't think I had any other option.'

'It's okay, Sweetie, I understand,' Penny smiled at him. 'I called Howard and Raj, they both said they had their phones off earlier and that's why you couldn't reach them. Three guesses why they were off,' she said the last part sarcastically, with an evil little smile. 'I think there's something going on between them. Anyway, they said they'd be right over.'

Leonard blinked at her, before he finally remembered she hadn't been told about Raj and Howard's new relationship. Although, as she had proven moments ago, it wasn't hard to guess. Penny went to fetch Leonard's spare pair of glasses from his room, and when she brought them back he shoved them on gratefully. It was disconcerting not being able to see properly. Sheldon was busy making tea and was ignoring them both, although Leonard saw that his hands were shaking slightly. The tall man brought a mug over and handed it to Leonard carefully. 'Drink while it's still warm.'

'Thank you,' he took a sip, felt warmth seep from his throat to his stomach. He looked up at Sheldon, smiled slightly. 'I mean it. Thank you, for everything.'

Sheldon seemed lost, as if he wasn't sure what to do. He clenched his fists, hesitating. He felt this new feeling, something he'd never really felt before. Guilt. And it made him want to beg for forgiveness, it made him want to dote on Leonard, and most of all he wanted to sit beside the man and pull him into a hug, protect him from the world. But that just wasn't who he was. He didn't ever beg. He didn't dote. He certainly didn't protect. The war growing inside him, the new feeling and the old ones, grew larger and larger. He felt that, if not for Penny standing there, he would have thrown his pride out the window and given in to his guilt. But he couldn't, not in front of her. So he wordlessly nodded in reply to Leonard and looked away again.

Leonard sensed the turmoil in Sheldon, and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get a word out, the door flew open, and two men tumbled inside. Raj and Howard looked out of breath, and they stared at Leonard in shock. 'Holy crap,' Howard muttered when he got his breath back. 'Your forehead looks nasty, are you okay?'

'I'm fine, Howard,' Leonard smiled to prove his point. 'Thank you for coming over.'

Penny looked at the two new comers, her arms crossed in front of her chest. 'Well, well, well,' she smirked at them. 'Care to tell us _why_ your phones were off?'

'Uhm…' Howard looked at her blankly, then and Leonard for help. 'W-Well, why was _your_ phone off?'

'I dropped it and couldn't find all the pieces. I was in a hurry so I left it,' Penny shrugged. 'What's your excuse?'

'Oh for God's sake, just tell her,' Leonard rolled his eyes, took another sip of his tea.

'Tell me what?'

Howard hesitated, before stepping closer to Raj, who wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 'We're kind of… Together.'

'I KNEW IT!' Penny jumped up and down, almost wild with excitement. 'I _knew_ something was going on there! Leonard, can you believe it?' she turned her smile on the injured man, who looked at her with a smirk and set his mug of tea on the table beside him. 'Oh…' she shook her head. 'You already knew.'

'I knew also,' Sheldon added.

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Well,' Sheldon shrugged. 'I assume Koothrappali and Wolowitz didn't tell you because they didn't consider you high enough in their friend's list for secret telling and keeping. I assume Leonard didn't tell you because he was respecting Koothrappali and Wolowitz's wishes. _I_ didn't tell you because I felt no need to.'

'Thank you, Sheldon,' Penny deadpanned, glaring at him. The naïve man responded with the expected 'you're welcome' and the girl rolled her eyes. He was so predictable.

Leonard let out an unexpected groan and they all swerved to look at him. His face was screwed up and his whole body was tense. 'I think the pain killers are starting to wear off,' he spat out through clenched teeth, and the words caused another pang of guilt for Sheldon.

'Is it your ankle?' he asked softly, and got a nod in reply. 'I think I might have some over the counter pain killers, let me check.'

The tall man hurried over to the cupboards, while Penny, Raj and Howard stared at him. It wasn't like Sheldon at all to act like this, all worried and caring. But then again, he and Leonard were close, and Penny knew that Sheldon had feelings for the injured physicist. Leonard made another noise of pain, and Raj started to look slightly panicked, reaching out and gripping Howard's arm tightly. Howard looked at him and frowned. 'What's up?'

Raj only shook his head, but when Leonard started to pant with the effort of holding back his noises of pain, he shuddered and took a step towards the door. Howard followed him, grabbing his hand. Raj closed his eyes and leaned over, whispering in Howard's ear, 'I can't stand seeing people in pain, it freaks me out.'

'Hey, we don't have to stay if you can't handle it,' Howard squeezed his hand. 'Leonard has Sheldon to look after him.'

Raj began to nod, but Leonard, who had just moved slightly and jarred his ankle, let out a yelp. Raj shuddered at the noise and shot out the door, hurrying down the stairs. Howard frowned and glanced at Leonard as he started to follow. 'Sorry, man, gotta go calm him down. Feel better, okay?'

Leonard nodded slightly and Howard closed the door behind him, before jogging down the stairs. He found Raj on the second floor, sitting on the ground with his head in his hands. The short engineer crouched beside him and ran his hand through Raj's hair. 'Leonard's going to be fine, you know.'

'That's not what's freaking me out,' came the croaked reply. From the tone of his voice, it didn't sound like he was crying, so at least Howard wouldn't have to deal with that. He hated it when other people cried. He continued to play with the other man's hair, while his other hand tried to pull the man's hands away from his face so he could see those eyes he loved so much.

'Raj, why are you so freaked out?' he asked, keeping his voice low and soothing. Raj shrugged silently, but he allowed Howard to pull his hands away, and looked up at him. Howard raised an eyebrow. 'A shrug is not an answer.'

'I don't know, dude,' the man sighed, shaking his head. He didn't let go of Howard's hand, instead held on and drew comfort from his touch. It was easier to forget about Leonard in pain out here, when it was just the two of them. 'I've been like this ever since I was a kid; I can't stand watching other people hurting.'

Howard's legs were starting to ache from the crouched position he was in, so he stood, tugging on Raj's hand so the other man had to stand as well. 'How can I help?' he asked gently, stepping closer, feeling his chest brush against Raj's.

'I can think of a few ways,' he replied, his eyes darkening as he lowered his head. Howard smirked when he caught the man's meaning, and allowed Raj to kiss him hard. Raj's fear and anxiety caused him to become rough and controlling, and he gripped Howard tightly and pressed him against the wall. Their kiss deepened, and Raj nipped the shorter man's lower lip before flicking his tongue against the same spot as he pressed his body up against the smaller one. A soft noise, sounding suspiciously like a moan, escaped Howard, and he reached up to grip the front of Raj's shirt. It was so rare the soft-spoken Indian ever took control, but when he did, the sex between them was always so explosive Howard often wished it happened more.

The taller man inserted a hand between their bodies, brushing against the other's erection through tight jeans, and smirking at how hard he was already. He continued to stroke it, but kept his touch extremely light, causing Howard to groan in response. 'Tease,' he panted when their kiss broke, and he pressed his face into Raj's neck, scraping his teeth against the skin he found there.

Raj made a noise, and pulled back, his hand moving to take Howard's, pulling. 'Car, now.' The command was hoarse with desire and Howard licked his lips as they started going down the stairs. He was looking forward to the ride home.

Xoxoxo

Sheldon handed Leonard the pain killers along with a glass of water, who accepted both items gratefully. Penny smiled at them both, and headed towards the door. 'I should be getting home; I can see you're well cared for.'

'Bye Penny,' both men responded.

'Feel better, Leonard. See yah, Sheldon.'

There was an awkward silence when she left, and Leonard took the time to swallow his pain killers. He set aside the glass of water when he was finished and looked up at Sheldon. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

The silence continued, before Leonard sighed and patted Sheldon's spot beside him. 'Sit down, will you? We should probably talk.'

'About what?' Sheldon asked, but he complied with Leonard's request, sitting down rather stiffly. He felt himself growing anxious. He didn't want to talk; he didn't want to end up annoying his roommate again; the last time he did Leonard had gotten in a car crash. He didn't want to take any more risks.

'What happened before I left earlier,' Leonard shifted slightly, looked hard at Sheldon. 'Why am I just some experiment to you? I thought… I thought this meant more than that.'

Sheldon glanced away, instead looking at his hands that were resting on his lap. He chose his words very carefully. 'I spoke out of context when I said what I did about the experiment,' there was a pause. 'I didn't mean what you thought I meant.'

'Well then, what did you mean?' Leonard asked impatiently.

'I meant I was experimenting with how I feel when I kiss you,' the man's cheeks flushed ever so slightly. 'I experience all these different emotions I've never felt before, and I wanted to see if they would keep coming back every time we kiss or not.'

'Oh,' Leonard absorbed this information, feeling slightly giddy. It almost sounded like Sheldon had feelings for him. But that was stupid, of course he didn't. The man had just found a new activity that he liked. 'Well, I apologise for losing my temper, and for assuming there was more between us than there actually was.'

'Leonard,' Sheldon frowned at him. 'My understanding of such situations are extremely limited, but I was led to believe that two people begin a relationship such as the one you assumed we were in by one party asking the other on a date. How could you assume we were in a relationship when neither of us had done so?'

'I…' Leonard cleared his throat, confused. Was Sheldon hinting at him to ask him on a date, or was he just stating what he knew? 'I guess you're right.'

'Of course I am,' Sheldon shrugged. 'I'm always right.'

The smaller man grinned at that, before shifting nervously. 'Well… Should we…? I mean, do you want to go on a date with me?'

There was a lengthy pause and Leonard began to curse inside his head. Why the hell did he ask that? There was no way Sheldon was interested in him like that. But to his surprise, Sheldon glanced back at him and said slowly, 'I wouldn't be opposed.'

A grin spread over Leonard's face, even as he felt his cheeks warming. 'We'll probably have to wait until my ankle heals up.'

Sheldon looked at the smaller man's ankle. 'Obviously.'

Xoxoxo

**I know. I hate myself too for cutting off the Raj/Howard scene. **

**My goodness this chapter was hard to write. I've been re-watching The Last Airbender series and its taking up a lot of my time and concentration. Don't you just love angry Zuko? **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! Unless, of course, they're those stupid homophobic ones that never seem to have any grammar or good spelling. **

**If you have something in mind you want to happen in later chapters, don't be afraid to review it in. I'd love some suggestions!**

**Also, please tell me if you took this chapter seriously. Ashlee read it out to me and officially ruined it with stuffed up innuendos and retarded voice. Apparently the nurse that called was some sort of british wannabe and the woman screaming that distracted Leonard gave birth to her child on the sidewalk before screaming as some hobo took it away to eat in his mad cave of wonders! Cause he's sexy and he knows it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back, day dwellers. Time for another chapter. **

**Also, it was pointed out to me by Ashlee (**_**AFTER**_** I had posted the last chapter, of course) that if Leonard had fractured his ankle, it should have been in a cast and not simply bandaged. I apologize; I don't really know anything about such things. I shall continue my writing as if it were in a cast. I won't go back and change it however, because I'm lazy.**

Xoxoxo

Leonard stretched as he left the hospital, glad to have finally gotten that horrible itching cast off his leg. The damn thing had tortured him for ages, keeping him up at night and distracting him at work. Sheldon had always been highly amused when Leonard was almost going crazy from the itching and trying to find a fork. The taller man had even hidden all of the utensils as one of his practical jokes, which Leonard hadn't found funny at the time. Now, though, he was so relieved to be rid of his torturer, that he could see the humour in it.

Leonard drove home in a good mood, not only was he free to walk around and be itch-free; having his ankle completely healed meant that the date he and Sheldon had planned could go ahead this evening. They hadn't told anyone about their recent relationship change, except Penny. They just weren't ready to answer the inevitable questions, because although they had kissed several times and were about to start dating, neither of them had admitted to having any kind of romantic feelings for each other yet. Penny understood and kept quiet.

It was easier for Leonard, who had felt these feelings before and knew how to deal with them, but for Sheldon it seemed these new emotions were at constant war with his basic principles and personality. He normally hated close contact, but with Leonard he craved it. He thought courting rituals were pointless and for the stupid, but he wanted to court Leonard. He viewed sex as a necessary evil, useful for only procreation (and even then, with the technology today he could have a child and not have to have intercourse with the mother), but with Leonard he wanted to. Unused to feeling like this constantly, he was having radical mood swings often. He might greet Leonard with an affectionate hug in the morning, and snap at the shorter man in the evening if their hands accidentally brushed. He knew it upset his roommate but he couldn't seem to help himself.

For the first few days after the crash, Sheldon had spent every waking hour racked with guilt over it. But when he saw Leonard begin to move around with less awkwardness, and when the man stopped feeling so much pain, Sheldon soon began to get over it. They hadn't done much more than kiss every now and again, but each time the taller man felt the same sensations he had before. Part of him wanted more, but he had a hard time initiating the kisses and half of the times Leonard had initiated them, Sheldon had been in a bad mood.

When Leonard arrived back at their apartment, he dropped his keys in the bowl and shut the door behind him. Sheldon was typing away at his laptop, and didn't show any sign of having heard his roommate come in. Leonard smiled at the sight, before walking over to him and looking over his shoulder at the laptop screen. Sheldon was writing another paper. Still no sign of having heard him.

'Hey, buddy,' Leonard prodded his friend's arm. 'I got my cast off today.'

The fingers that were flying over keys froze, and Sheldon turned his head, finally seeming to see the other man. His eyes went to Leonard's ankle, and the shorter physicist lifted his pant leg slightly to show the lack of cast. Sheldon glanced back up at him. 'Wonderful, I can stop having to clean all our forks every day.'

Leonard grinned at this and leaned forward to brush his lips over Sheldon's cheek. Although the other man sometimes flipped out at physical contact, he had not yet had a bad reaction to cheek kissing. As expected, Sheldon allowed the kiss, before continuing on as if it had never happened. 'I assume you wish to go ahead with our date tonight?'

'Yup,' Leonard walked to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. 'I was going to call the restaurant to confirm our booking but I thought I'd check with you first.'

'Thoughtful of you,' Sheldon's fingers resumed their typing. 'As it happens to be "Anything Can Happen Thursday", I have no objection to a different location for our dinner.'

'But it still has to be Chinese,' Leonard grinned and picked up the phone. 'Luckily the restaurant serves it.'

He called the restaurant and confirmed the booking, before drinking his water and throwing away the bottle. They had a couple hours until their date, so he turned on the TV to play a video game. They settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the tapping of keys and noises of the game.

Xoxoxo

'No, for god's sake,' Penny scowled as she looked Sheldon up and down. 'That is not what you wear to a date.'

'I don't follow.'

'A superman shirt? Really?' She shook her head and pushed her way into his apartment, noting that Leonard wasn't in the living room. Probably in his bedroom. 'Come with me, I'll see if I can find you something nice.'

'Why can't I wear this shirt?' Sheldon complained as he followed her into his bedroom. 'And who said you could come in here?'

She glared at him until he closed his mouth, and she pushed him over to the bed, where he sat down obediently. Satisfied, she opened his closet and rummaged through his clothes. 'You must have at least one good suit; you need to look nice for tonight.'

'Why?' Sheldon questioned, wincing as she messed up his carefully organized closet.

'Because you want this date to go well,' she pulled out a black leather jacket and set it on the bed. 'Find a clean white shirt to put on under that.'

Sheldon opened his draws and pulled out a white shirt. 'I don't see how the way I dress is going to affect the date.'

Penny picked up a pair of black jeans and looked them over before setting them on the bed. 'Let's put it this way. Believe it or not, you're actually pretty attractive. If you put any effort into your appearance tonight, Leonard won't be able to keep his hands off you. Wouldn't you like that? Hmm?'

Sheldon tilted his head as he considered this. 'I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to it.'

'Good,' Penny smiled. 'Now get dressed, I'm going to go see how Leonard's doing.'

The blonde closed Sheldon's bedroom door behind her and walked up to Leonard's bedroom. She could hear him moving about inside and grabbed the door handle, but thought better of it and knocked. She heard Leonard yell, 'Come in!' so she opened the door and stepped inside.

'Well, you clean up well,' she grinned at him as she closed the door. The short man was wearing much the same as Sheldon, but his pants weren't jeans, his jacket wasn't leather and he was wearing a purple and black striped tie. He was holding his glasses in his hands, staring at them.

'I was wondering if I should wear my contacts tonight,' he told her. 'I don't usually wear them because I hate them so much, but I'd do it for Sheldon.'

'Wear your glasses,' Penny told him. 'Sheldon obviously likes you for who you are, why change?'

Leonard smiled at that and put his glasses on. 'You're right, thank you,' he tugged at his jacket, frowned slightly. 'I've never been so nervous and so calm at the same time.'

'What do you mean?' Penny sat on the bed and he sat beside her, staring at his hands. She put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it soothingly.

'Well, if you think about it, this date is going to decide what happens between Sheldon and me,' he took a breath. 'It's going to make or break us. But on the other hand, I've lived with him for so many years I feel like nothing could go wrong. I mean, we're best friends. I know him better than most people.'

'The make or break thing, that's not always true,' she smiled at him. 'Remember our first date? It went so well, but in the end we had a horrible break up. First dates don't decide the future, you should remember that.'

He smiled at her, and she giggled. He checked his watch and a bolt of panic hit him when he realized he only had ten minutes left until he and Sheldon had to drive to the restaurant. Ten minutes left to prepare himself. He stood, picked up a brush and ran it through his hair. 'So I look okay?'

'You look handsome,' Penny told him. She tilted her head as she watched him, frowned in though. 'So, are you like, gay now?'

Leonard's hand hesitated mid-brush, and he stood still, staring at his reflection in the mirror. 'I…' he cleared his throat, shifted slightly. 'I don't know. Does it make me gay if I'm attracted to women, and one guy?'

'I don't think so,' Penny smiled slightly. 'I think that there are people who are straight, except for one person. Sheldon's that person for you.'

'I think so too,' Leonard continued brushing. 'I mean, it's not like I want to go and make out with Raj, or Howard for that matter.' He shuddered at the thought, making Penny laugh. 'The thought of kissing a guy always made me feel sick, but with Sheldon, it feels so… Natural.'

'I can understand,' Penny nodded. 'I kissed Bernadette once.' At Leonard's shocked stare she let out a self-conscious laugh and continued. 'She was upset over her break up with Howard so I took her out drinking and it just kind of… Happened. I've kissed other girls before but she was different.'

'So… You like her?' Leonard asked, turning to face her and setting the brush down.

'Not in a romantic way,' Penny shrugged. 'I don't think I'd ever work with a woman, but there was attraction there, you know? Whereas other girls I kissed, there was none. But it doesn't matter, I'm in love with someone else and Bernadette freaked out about it when she woke up the next morning.'

'Who're you in love with?' Leonard grinned, turning to take one last look in the mirror.

'Paul,' she smiled. 'You haven't met him yet, but I was planning on introducing him. He's a psychologist, so he's really nice and accepting.' She watched him for a moment. 'When are you supposed to go?'

'In a few minutes,' he opened the door, let her walk out first. 'Thank you for talking with me, I probably would have worked myself into a panic attack if I'd been getting ready alone.'

'No problem,' she winked at him, walked into the lounge. 'Have fun okay? Oh, and by the way, you're going to love Sheldon's outfit.'

Leonard blinked, but she was already out the door. Sheldon's outfit? Confused, he turned to look at Sheldon's bedroom door, just as it opened. 'That irritating woman messed up my entire wardrobe,' the tall man grumbled as he stepped into the hallway. Upon seeing Leonard, he gestured towards the lounge. 'Should we go? We don't want to be late.'

'Uhm, yeah, right,' Leonard mumbled, walking into the living room. His mind was entirely on Sheldon. Penny had been right; he_ loved _what his roommate was wearing. It made several dirty scenes involving chocolate enter his mind, and he had to push it back with difficulty. Who knew Sheldon could look so damn hot out of those superman shirts? 'Lets… uhm… let's go.'

Penny had already retreated to her apartment by the time they stepped into the hallway, so they were alone as Sheldon locked the door behind them. 'You're acting awfully out of character this evening,' he remarked, taking a side long glance at his companion. 'Is it because this is our first date? I'm led to believe most people get nervous before such events. I myself am not prey to such emotions.'

Lie.

'Yeah, I'm just nervous, is all.'

Kind of a lie.

'Come on,' Sheldon started down the stairs, and Leonard followed obediently. The drive to the restaurant was uneventful, even though Sheldon had insisted on driving for 'practise' and Leonard had been terrified they'd hit someone the whole ride. Although, admittedly, Sheldon had improved greatly and only ran a red light once.

The restaurant was crowded, but they were escorted to their seats with little trouble by a small blond woman who looked a little like Bernadette. She took their orders and left. 'I can't believe how many people are here,' Leonard mused as he took a drink of water. 'Good thing we reserved a table weeks ago.'

'Hm,' Sheldon placed a napkin on his lap. 'Apparently this restaurant is quite popular. I have yet to see why.'

Leonard opened his mouth to reply, but faltered when a man stepped up to their table, wearing a sly smirk. 'K-Kripke?'

'Cooper, Hofstadder,' the man nodded in greeting. 'What are you doing here? Where's your cweepy wittle fwiends?'

'Having dinner with each other I presume,' Sheldon responded tersely, stiffening. He'd always hated this man, and now he was about to ruin his first date with Leonard.

'Why are you here awone?' Kripke glanced between them. 'It wooks wike a date, you wealize that?'

Leonard cleared his throat and looked away uncomfortably. Sheldon remained silent. The other man let out a laugh and shook his head, gesturing between them, 'this is actually a date? My god, I should have known you were gay, Cooper.'

'Kripke,' Leonard's voice was low. 'I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'

'Why?' Kripke snorted. 'So you two can make goo-goo eyes at each other when I weave?'

'Is there a problem here, sirs?' the waitress was back, holding their orders in her hands. Kripke glanced at her and shrugged.

'I was just weaving,' he grinned at Leonard and Sheldon as he turned away. 'See you at work, Cooper.'

There was a tense silence as the waitress placed their orders on the tables and went back to get their drinks. Leonard knew Sheldon was upset but he didn't know what to do. Should he say something? He didn't know what to say. Apparently Sheldon did, however, because he asked in a small voice, 'Leonard?'

'Yeah?'

'Does this… Does kissing you and dating you make me gay?' the taller man looked unbelievably vulnerable, with a confused and upset expression. Leonard felt sorry for him, especially because he'd had the exact same conversation with Penny earlier that evening.

'Sheldon, I don't consider myself gay, because I'm still attracted to women and as a general rule, I'm not attracted to men. You happen to be an exception,' he paused, picked up his fork and began to play with his food. 'But it might be different for you. Are you attracted to women?'

Sheldon began to copy him, pushing his food around his plate with his fork and avoiding eye contact. He hesitated before replying, 'no.'

'Then it's possible you are,' Leonard took a bite, blinked at how good the food was. 'But there's no reason to be ashamed or upset about it.'

The waitress returned with their drinks and set them down. They thanked her and she left, and Sheldon still looked upset. There was another silence before he mumbled, 'I don't know how my mother will react.'

'Well…' Leonard frowned, thought for a moment as he chewed his food. Sheldon's mother was what he would call an 'intense' Christian, and it was entirely possible she would react badly to the news her son might be gay and was in a relationship with a man. 'You are who you are, Sheldon, and if she can't accept you that's her problem.'

Sheldon was silent again and stared to eat. He didn't know how to express how torn up he'd be if his mother rejected him for being who he was. Hell, he hardly knew how to express anything other than disdain. How he envied Leonard, having a mother who was incredibly intelligent and wouldn't live life by a book that hadn't been proved as a fact. His own mother had sent him off to bible camp at nine when he told her he didn't believe in god. He sighed and tried to distract himself. This was his first date; he didn't want to ruin it with bad thoughts. 'The foods good,' he told Leonard.

'Yeah, it is,' the shorter man smiled at him, causing a tightening in Sheldon's stomach that always surprised him. 'Must be why this place is so popular.'

Sheldon shrugged in response, took a sip of his drink. 'What do you think Wolowitz and Koothrappali are doing right now?'

'Are you kidding me?' Leonard arched an eyebrow. 'They're probably having weird, kinky sex.'

Sheldon made a face of disgust, which caused Leonard to burst out laughing. 'I shouldn't have asked,' the taller man grumbled, watching his roommate subside into chuckles. 'Although it is healthy for them to have finally added sex into their relationship.'

'Yeah, no wonder Howard was so horny when he was lusting after his best friend,' Leonard snorted, then almost choked when he realized he could have been talking about himself. Flushing, he avoided Sheldon's gaze and changed the subject. 'I hope they don't break up, that'd make things a little awkward.'

'Oh yes,' Sheldon lifted his glass, took a sip. 'Months of alternating activities between them until Raj breaks down and moves back to India.'

'I'm sure it wouldn't be that serious,' Leonard frowned, staring at his food. 'But at least they don't live together. What's going to happen to us if we have a bad break up?'

'Well,' Sheldon considered this for a moment. 'Either we'd be able to move on and resume our best friend status or one of us moves out.'

'But…' Leonard glanced up at him, finding the thought upsetting. 'I don't want one of us to move out.'

'Then I suggest we don't break up,' Sheldon replied. His innocence made Leonard smile. 'Now eat your dinner.'

'Another question,' Leonard smirked as he picked up his fork again. 'Who pays?'

'Social protocol generally dictates the man pays,' Sheldon said slowly, his mind working over the question.

'Exactly,' Leonard arched his eyebrows, amused. 'So, who's the man?'

Xoxoxo

'I still can't believe Captain Sweatpants has a girlfriend,' Leonard grinned as they climbed the stairs to their apartment. 'And she was pretty, I mean, _really _pretty.'

'Hm,' Sheldon frowned, feeling the first tendrils of jealousy at his roommate's appraisal of this girl. 'She may have been his sister.'

'It looked like a date to me,' Leonard glanced over at him, smiling. 'I think it's nice he found someone.'

Sheldon felt those now-familiar butterflies in his stomach at the smile, and the arousal that had been simmering all night quickly vied for his attention. His eyes took in Leonard's form, the curly hair, and the warm eyes. He clenched his fists with the effort of remaining cool and collected when all he wanted to do was throw Leonard against the wall and take what he wanted. He breathed heavily through his nose and tried to picture something, _anything_, other than sex. A lifetime of control was disappearing in a single night, and it put him on edge.

'Shelly? You okay?' Leonard frowned at him, looking concerned.

'I'm fine,' his voice came out deeper than normal, but Leonard didn't seem to notice. They climbed the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't awkward or tense. Sheldon pulled his keys out and made to unlock the door, but Leonard grabbed his wrist.

'Sheldon,' his face wore that same infuriatingly arousing smile, and Leonard slid closer and placed a hand on the back of Sheldon's neck, tugging him down so they were at eye level. 'Thank you for tonight.'

Leonard desperately wanted to crush their mouths together, but he waited. He knew that Sheldon hated not being in control, and would probably react badly if the shorter man initiated the kiss. So he did nothing, staring at his roommate, noting the pupils surrounded by soft blue were dilated. Sheldon cleared his throat, his voice still weirdly deep, 'you're welcome.'

There was a pause, and Leonard very gently rubbed his thumb over Sheldon's wrist. The taller man stiffened, unused to feeling so… His mind was slowly going blank, and he had trouble finding a word for it that wasn't utterly crass. Horny? Aroused? Needy? Sheldon tugged his hand free of Leonard's grip, deciding he didn't care what word he used. He needed Leonard _now_. He grabbed his shorter roommate by the waist and stepped closer; forcing him back against the closed door and pressing their bodies flush together. His mouth lowered and Leonard rose up to meet it, almost groaning when their lips finally met. Sheldon had been waiting all night for this. Overcome with the need to be in control, to dominate, he pressed harder against his roommate's body and moved his hands from his waist to his wrists. Sheldon pressed Leonard's wrists hard against the door, still kissing him. The shorter man groaned, slid his tongue along an inviting lower lip, and was welcomed inside the waiting mouth.

Leonard could feel Sheldon's arousal pressed against his stomach, and he shifted ever so slightly so that his body would rub against it. This resulted in a sudden intake of breath, and Sheldon dug his nails into his friend's soft wrists, not enough to hurt, but enough to feel the sensation. Leonard smirked against his lips, loving how he could control Sheldon in small ways, even when he was pressed against the door with his hands pinned. And, surprisingly enough, he found he loved being controlled. His own arousal was hard, aching with need and straining against his pants. He wanted to move this inside, but with his hands pinned he could do nothing to further the action along.

He didn't have to wait long, however, because Sheldon had released his hands and pulled the keys out. With one hand snaking around Leonard's waist to hold him up when the door suddenly opened, he slid the key in the lock and turned it. It was getting too complicated having Leonard doing wonderful things to his mouth while he was trying to open the door, so he broke the kiss, and the hallway was suddenly filled with their panting breaths as they tried to get a hold of themselves. The door finally swung open and Sheldon forced Leonard backwards enough so he could close it behind them. Dropping the keys carelessly in the bowl beside the door, his now free hands returned to Leonard's waist, and he pressed soft, insistent kisses along his roommate's jaw line as he continued to force him backwards, heading towards Leonard's bedroom.

Knowing what was about to happen made nerves rise up swiftly, almost smothering his desire. He should have done more research on man on man coitus. But he was soon forgetting his worry when he felt teeth scraping against his throat, and he began to have trouble holding back moans.

Leonard felt his bedroom door against his back and reached behind him to open it quickly. He would have fallen backwards if it hadn't been for Sheldon's arm around his waist, holding him tightly to his friend's body. They stepped inside and Sheldon shut the door impatiently. Smiling against his roommate's neck, Leonard allowed himself to be propelled backwards until the back of his legs hit the bed. Almost driven crazy with desire, he lay down and wriggled until he found a comfortable spot. Sheldon stood at the foot of the bed, breathing heavily through his nose, staring at Leonard, who held out his hand. The other man took it and climbed onto the bed, crouching over his roommate.

They kissed again, and it was almost sweet. Leonard felt soft, warm emotions entangle with the needy arousal he was already feeling. Sheldon broke the kiss and moved his lips to the shorter man's jaw again, and Leonard moved his hands so he was holding onto his friend's waist. Taking the silent cue, Sheldon stopped crouching and lay down, acutely aware of Leonard's arousal pressed tight against his stomach. There was a soft moan when Sheldon's lips hit the spot between the throat and the collar bone, and Leonard's grip on his waist tightened.

Long tapered fingers slowly pushed off Leonard's jacket, awkwardly pulling him into a half-sitting position just to yank the offending material off him. Sheldon started to fold it, but Leonard scowled and grabbed it off him, dropping it to the floor. 'For god's sake, Shelly…' he muttered impatiently. The taller man began to protest at messing up the room, but was silenced by a well-aimed kiss. Leonard grabbed Sheldon's hands and brought them to his tie, and he obligingly loosened it and pulled it over his roommates head, and he muttered no protest to that being dropped because Leonard's lips were currently pressing soft kisses along his throat. Leonard's shirt soon followed, and Sheldon pushed him back so he was lying down again, resuming his exploration of his friend's collar bone. His mouth trailed downwards, brushing over a nipple with resulted with an intake of breath and Leonard's hands fisting in the sheets beneath them. Sheldon flicked his tongue over the nub experimentally and smirked at the groan that issued from Leonard's throat.

Grabbing the sheets so hard his knuckled turned white, Leonard resisted the urge to take control of the situation. In a way, knowing he could take control and yet he couldn't if he wanted to live, made him all the more aroused. That intoxicating mouth was working lower, brushing over the sensitive skin of his stomach, and with each touch of his lips, Leonard's cock throbbed in response. His breath came out in heavy pants, and he couldn't help lifting his hips off the bed, praying Sheldon would get the message.

Sheldon felt a slight flutter of panic when Leonard's hips rose unexpectedly, but he felt pleased more than anything. Right now, at this moment, his roommate was giving him complete control, and that made him uncomfortably hard. Growing impatient, he leaned up so he could shrug off his leather jacket, but froze when the movement caused his erection to come into contact with Leonard's. There was a short, gasping moan, and it took a few seconds for him to realize he had been the one to make the noise. A small part of him wanted to jump off the bed and hide in his room. A big part of him wanted to tear Leonard's pants off. He settled for taking off the jacket, setting it aside neatly. The movement caused more friction between their hard-ons, and he gritted his teeth to avoid making more embarrassing sounds. His hands reached up to the buttons of his shirt, but Leonard pulled his hands away. The shorter man smiled up and him and sat up, causing Sheldon to practically straddle him. 'Let me…' Leonard's voice came out husky, and he started to unbutton the white shirt slowly. Each button that came undone made Sheldon grow more and more impatient, and Leonard was purposely dragging it out just to torture him.

'Faster,' his own voice was choked, lust filled and desperate. Leonard complied, slipping the buttons through the holes with more speed than before. When the last one came undone, Sheldon shrugged out of it and resisted the urge to fold it. He knew it would only earn him a glare. So he set it aside neatly on top of his jacket and leaned forward to capture Leonard's lips again. The smaller man was more passionate than usual, nibbling on Sheldon's lower lip as his hands came up to grab the other man's waist again. Wasting no time, Sheldon unbuttoned and unzipped Leonard's pants, finding it more difficult than it should be because of the material straining over his roommate's arousal.

He tried to pull them off, but even with Leonard wiggling they couldn't manage it. Neither of them had ever attempted sex with another man before, and Sheldon hadn't even attempted it with a woman. Unsure of how to proceed, Sheldon glanced down at Leonard questioningly. With a grunt of annoyance, the smaller man pushed at his roommate's shoulder. 'For god's sake, let me up so I can take them off.'

If the rocky start to their sex had dimmed Sheldon's arousal, seeing Leonard strip in front of him certainly brightened it again. He yanked the pants off easily enough, along with his shoes and socks. His hands hesitated at the boxers. While he and Sheldon had seen each other naked plenty of times, the incident where the heat went out came to mind as an example, it had never been in a sexual way. Seeing the hesitation, Sheldon looked up at him from where he was sitting on the bed and said softly, 'take them off.'

The command made him shiver but he didn't do as he was told, instead toying with the waistband. 'If you take yours off too,' he challenged, and Sheldon arched a brow in response. After a moment he sighed and gave in. The man stood from the bed, and immediately he was no longer looking up at Leonard, instead looking down. He really was incredibly tall. He pulled his jeans off himself but when he got to the briefs, Leonard pushed his hands away and pulled them down. Sheldon would have protested but his mind was wiped blank except for the unbelievable pleasure he was feeling from Leonard's hand wrapped around his cock.

Slowly pumping his hand, Leonard leaned up, clearly wanting a kiss, but was still too short, even on tip-toes, to reach. Sheldon closed the rest of the distance, although he found it hard to concentrate on the kissing when Leonard's hand was slowly rubbing him. He'd read all about coitus, had masturbated even, but nothing prepared him for the feeling of another person's hand on him. He was biting gently on Leonard's lower lip when the shorter man's thumb swiped over the tip, and the sensation was so shocking he accidentally bit down harder than he meant to. He expected to be yelled at, or shoved away, but surprisingly, Leonard only moaned. Interesting, Sheldon thought to himself. The pain seemed to have an arousing effect on him.

Abruptly, Leonard dropped to his knees in front of Sheldon and leaned forward, flicking his tongue over the tip of his roommate's cock. Sheldon let out a groan, his hands reaching out and pressing against the wall for support before he fell over. With his hand still gently gripping the base, Leonard closed his mouth over the head and sucked gently. Sheldon let out a series of soft groans, with heavy pants between them. He no longer cared about who was in control or that he didn't really understand the reactions he was having. All he cared about was that Leonard not take his mouth away. Alternating between twirling his tongue around the head and sucking it, the shorter man closed his eyes and lost himself in the taste and texture of his friend. One of Sheldon's hands came down and buried itself on Leonard's hair, twisting the curly strands. He tugged slightly and it made Leonard moan, the vibrations shooting right through Sheldon's cock. Biting his lower lip, he tugged harder and Leonard noticeably sped up his ministrations, sliding his mouth over the length and taking as much as he could in.

'Leonard,' Sheldon's voice was deep, choked. He tugged at the curly hair again. 'I'm about to…' he broke off, shuddering, but his roommate didn't pull back as expected. He stayed where he was, and when Sheldon finally came, he swallowed without complaint, before pulling back and standing, stretching cramped legs. Sheldon was still standing with one hand pressed against the wall, and his breathing was erratic. After a few moments, he regained control of himself and turned, pulling Leonard to him. Without thinking, Sheldon kissed him. If he'd been thinking, he would have been disgusted at the thought of kissing someone who'd just had a cock in their mouth, but he wasn't thinking. Leonard kissed back, smiling a little into the kiss as Sheldon reached out and pulled his boxers down.

He didn't think he could ever be as skilled as Leonard was at giving pleasure, but he'd try. His long, slender fingers wrapped around Leonard's length and rubbed slowly, watching his roommate's reactions. The smaller man was fighting back a groan, and was digging his fingers into Sheldon's shoulders. Gaining confidence at how Leonard seemed to be enjoying it, the taller physicist sped up, finding he could become rather fond of the way his shorter friend buried his face in his neck. Leonard made another noise, groaned 'Sheldon!' against the man's neck. He was getting closer to the edge.

Sheldon rubbed his thumb over the tip, remembering how good that had felt, and sped up even more. He pressed his lips to his friend's dark head, murmured his name. He felt Leonard come into his hand, and the smaller man's whole body was shaking. He wrapped his free arm around him to hold him up, as Leonard was beginning to sink to the floor, his breathing heavy.

'God…' Leonard muttered when he had his breath back, and Sheldon forced him backwards until he was sitting on the bed. The taller man pulled Leonard's inhaler out of a drawer with his clean hand and handed it to him.

'I'm going to wash my hands,' Sheldon told him softly. He didn't know why he was acting so differently, more gentle. Maybe it was the orgasm. Maybe it was the warm feelings he was developing for his friend. Either way, he didn't protest when Leonard pulled him down for a chaste kiss before he left. Who'd have thought one little experiment would yield such satisfying results?

Xoxoxo

**My god, I finished. I actually did it.**

**The chapter, I mean. No way am I finished with the story. **

**I screwed up the sex scene. Royally. Was that a pun? I don't know.**

**Feel free to review, tell me how badly I did. First time writing man on man action. **

**To be honest, I giggled uncontrollably for a few minutes the first time I wrote the word 'cock'. I'm so immature. But I amuse myself greatly.**

**Please review! Seriously, they freakin' make my day. **


	6. Chapter 6

**This is just a little Raj/Howard I wanted to put in here. Enjoy!**

Xoxoxo

Raj kept his eyes closed as he slowly became aware of his surroundings. Bright sunlight stung even with closed eyelids, but he made no move to block its path to his retinas. Mainly because one arm was trapped under a deliciously warm body, and the other one was wrapped around said body's waist, and he didn't want to let go. It was still pretty early, otherwise Howard would have already gotten up by now. The engineer was a morning person, a stark contrast to Raj, who hated getting up before noon.

He was surprised he'd even managed to wake up at this hour at all, but manage it he did, and he found himself unable to drift off again. Howard's soft breathing beside him was soothing, and he allowed himself to slip into the daydreams he was having with more and more regularity lately.

Howard sitting on the couch beside him, telling him to close his eyes and put out his hand. Feeling the cool metal of an engagement ring sliding onto his finger. Him letting out noises somewhere between surprise and happiness as he wraps his arms tightly around his lover.

He liked that daydream. Naturally, it led to the next one. He and Howard facing each other in suits, exchanging vows and rings, kissing as their friends clapped in the background. The mental image changed to them walking through an orphanage, led by a bossy woman who ordered the small children to be on their best behavior. Seeing the tiny boy sitting away from the other children, reading a dictionary of all things. Taking him home, taking care of him, being a family.

Sometimes he imagined that science had managed to enable men to get pregnant, and that Howard would carry his child. But that daydream was a little off to him, unrealistic, and while he indulged in it every now and again, he knew not to think about it too often. He knew the power of daydreams, how they could eat up everything in your life until you were just one big blob of wanting that daydream to come true.

Howard stirred in his arms, and he felt his chest contract at how much he loved this man. The noises he made, the way he smiled, his warped sense of humor. So perfectly imperfect, and he was all his. Raj lifted his free hand to gently stroke a lock of black hair, and Howard made a noise of contentment. 'Morning,' Raj yawned, snuggling closer.

'Mmm, good morning to you too,' Howard wriggled, turned over so he was facing Raj. The sleepy smile he wore was adorable, and he reached his hand up to mirror Raj's actions, running his hand through the curly black hair. 'I could get used to waking up like this, with you.'

'Then why don't you just move in?' The question was out of Raj's mouth before his sleepy brain realized how awkward a question that was. He tensed, waiting for the inevitable rejection.

'Mmm, think Ma would go for it?' Howard didn't seem disturbed or upset. He seemed to be considering the idea, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips.

'No offense Howard, but its not really her decision,' Raj frowned slightly, nervous. He'd asked the question without thinking, but he really did want his lover to move in with him. He was anxious to hear Howard say yes.

The smaller man was running a finger along Raj's collarbone, his pale skin colour contrasting with Raj's deep brown. Howard was a smart man, and he knew his boyfriend better than anyone. He knew the Indian was nervous. Howard was too, nervous that his mother would freak out because there was no way he was refusing Raj's offer. 'She'll probably suspect something, you know,' his voice was soft.

'Do you want to hide our relationship from her forever?' Raj asked gently, enjoying the sensation of Howard's skin on his. He'd waited so long to have this.

'No, I don't, I just...' a frown twisted the engineer's lips, and his eyes flickered up to meet Raj's. 'I'm scared, I guess. Of her reaction.'

The Indian rubbed Howard's arm soothingly, smothering a laugh. 'How do you think I feel? If you tell your mother, I'll have to tell my parents and they are going to freak out.'

'Especially considering they have their heart set on you flying out to meet that Indian girl,' Howard's face darkened, and he avoided eye contact for a moment. 'They pushed you pretty hard. Why didn't you just tell them then?'

'It didn't feel like the right time,' Raj shrugged. 'I want you with me when I tell them.'

'Then I want you with me when I tell Ma,' Howard grinned. 'It's only fair.'

'I have no objections to that,' the taller man smiled. 'Just don't expect me to be able to talk to her.'

'It'll be easier for you,' Howard smirked, and Raj knew that the small engineer was about to insult him. 'Everyone already thinks you're gay. But what about me? To others, I'm as straight as they come.'

Raj let out a derisive snort, slid onto his lover and straddled him. 'Oh really? Lets see how straight you are when you're screaming out my name.'

Xoxoxo

**Oh damn, what's Howard's mother's name? I'll go with Rebecca, because it's a little awkward writing 'Howard's mother did this' and 'Howard's mother did that' over and over again.**

Xoxoxo

'I can't believe my little baby is leaving the nest...'

'Ma,' Howard looked embarrassed, trying to slide out of the tight hug Rebecca was enveloping him in, while Raj smirked at him. 'I'm a grown man!'

'But you're my only son!'

Howard narrowed his eyes at Raj over his mother's shoulder, a silent promise of revenge. He patted the woman's back gently, waiting for her to calm down. He'd broken the news to her only five minutes earlier but hadn't mentioned his relationship with Raj. He felt himself grow more and more nervous as he began to contemplate her reaction.

'I'll make you boys some lunch while you pack your things,' Rebecca said finally, after she had calmed down and released her son. She turned towards the fridge, pulling out a block of cheese. 'Leonard was the one who couldn't have lactose, wasn't he?'

'Yeah, that was him,' Howard rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. It was now or never. 'Hey, Ma? I need to tell you something.'

Rebecca turned, studying her son with narrowed eyes, much as Howard had done to Raj moments earlier. She noted the nervous look in the man's eyes, the shaking hands and awkward shifting of the feet. 'Howard,' she said in a deadly voice. 'Did you get a girl pregnant? For crying out loud, I told you to use protection!'

'No, Ma,' Howard bit the inside of his cheek, the sharp pain helping him focus. 'I didn't get a girl pregnant. In fact, I don't think you have to worry about that ever again.'

His mother's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he meant. She saw her son's eyes flicker towards Raj and understanding flooded her. 'You mean...?'

Howard hesitated, then nodded briefly. Raj moved to stand beside him, and his closeness helped calm him. Rebecca's face went blank, and she turned away from them and began carefully slicing the cheese. 'Go on and pack, boys. Lunch will be ready soon.'

'Ma...?' Howard frowned. His mother was acting weird, and he felt confused and wary.

'_Go_, Howard!' Rebecca's grip on the cheese slicer tightened as she controlled herself.

His mother had yelled at him many times. Often over the littlest things such as asking if he wanted a popsicle, but never had it hurt him so much. Howard turned away and began walking towards his room, with Raj in tow.

Once his bedroom door was firmly shut, Howard leant his back against it and closed his eyes, trying not to cry. Surely this was better than her going crazy and disowning him? But no matter how many times he told himself that, the hurt feelings remained. Raj pulled him into a hug and they stood like that for a few minutes, finding comfort in each other and their closeness. Eventually Howard pulled back, avoiding Raj's eyes as he pulled a suitcase from his closet. 'I'll just get clothes and stuff like that for now, we can come back later for everything else.'

'Alright,' Raj looked worried, but didn't say anything more, helping his boyfriend sort his clothes. After ten minutes of silent packing, Howard's suitcase was bulging and he decided he didn't want anything else. His comic books, belt buckles and other miscellaneous items could be collected at a later date. Right now he just wanted to crawl back into Raj's bed and hide from the world.

Howard began to move towards the door, but Raj reached out and grabbed his wrist. The shorter man stopped, not turning, but not trying to pull away either. He opened his mouth to speak, finding his voice rough as he asked, 'what?'

'I love you.'

It was a simple statement, innocent really, but packed with feelings kept hidden until now. Howard would have frozen if he'd been moving, but as it was, his breathing stopped for a few moments. He could still feel Raj's hand wrapped around his wrist, and his chest seemed to squeeze tighter and tighter. This was the first time either of them had mentioned love. Howard, overcome with the need to see the look on Raj's face, turned to face him.

Raj had blurted out the declaration to try and cheer his boyfriend up, but he'd meant what he said, and was nervous as to how Howard would react. His fears proved pointless, however, because the shorter man stepped closer and pulled him down for a kiss. 'As it just so happens, I love you too.'

They wore identical grins when the kiss ended, and Howard once again reached for the door, in a considerably better mood. Who the hell cared what his mother thought? He'd found love, and it was perfect. They ate lunch with Rebecca in silence, and the woman had made it very clear she was going to pretend nothing had changed and would not tolerate any mention of her son's new relationship. Howard was disappointed, but also relieved. It could have been worse. Now the only obstacle left to overcome was telling Raj's parents.

Xoxoxo

'Hello mummy, daddy, how are you?' Raj's voice wavered slightly, but the image of his parents on the laptop screen in front of him didn't seem to notice.

'We are good,' his mother replied, before smiling at Howard, who was sitting next to her son. 'And hello to you, Howard.'

'Hello, Mrs. Koothrappali, Mr. Koothrappali,' the Jewish man nodded at them, and Raj's father grunted in response.

'Why have you called us?' Mrs. Koothrappali asked. 'We were right in the middle of Deal or No Deal.'

'I wanted to tell you something,' Raj cleared his throat, rubbing the material of his pant leg compulsively. Howard grabbed his hand and squeezed gently, but the action couldn't be seen by Raj's parents, as the webcam was aimed too high up.

'What is it?' Mr. Koothrappali grunted. 'Have you finally made up your mind about flying out to meet Carmea?'

'A lovely girl,' Raj's mother interrupted. 'Her mother goes to the same book club as I do.'

'Yes, I have made up my mind,' Raj took a deep breath, preparing himself. 'I'm not going to fly out to meet her because I'm in a relationship.'

'What?' Mrs Koothrappali raised an eyebrow, looking excited. 'Who is she? Is she Indian?'

'He, mummy, it's a he,' Raj felt panic clawing up his throat, but he managed to choke out, 'I'm dating Howard.'

There was silence as his mother and father leaned back, away from the webcam, and exchanged a look. Howard squeezed his hand gently, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the back of his hand. Mrs. Koothrappali cleared her throat delicately, folding her hands on her lap. 'We knew this day was coming,' she told Raj, her husband nodding in agreement.

'If you knew it was coming, why did you push me so hard to date Indian girls?' Raj asked, not sure if he should be panicking or not. His parents didn't seem to be angry, or upset, but they didn't seem happy either.

'I guess we wanted to believe we were wrong,' his father answered with a shrug. 'Not that there's anything wrong with you being gay. We just want grandchildren.'

'Yes,' Mrs. Koothrappali nodded slightly. 'We accept you and your relationship, just be careful, you hear me?'

'Yes, mummy, daddy,' Raj smiled brightly, relief clear on his face. 'Thank you for understanding.'

'Well, its our job,' his mother smiled. 'You take care of our son, Howard. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to return to my show.'

They exchanged goodbyes before Raj shut the laptop, letting out a relieved sigh as he did so. He looked at his boyfriend, who was smiling at him. 'That went well.'

'You're telling me.'

Xoxoxo

**Adorable, no? I do love some Raj/Howard. Sorry for how late this is, and how short. It's been a busy week! **

**Please review, I love to hear from you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome back, guys. Another exciting installment. **

**Just as a brief warning, I'm taking on another writing project and am playing with the idea of writing an Artemis Fowl fic. But this story will be my main focus, I won't abandon you guys!**

Xoxoxo

'So,' Penny popped a dumpling into her mouth and chewed it slowly, looking round at the four guys sitting around her. She swallowed before speaking again. 'I've decided on your punishment for not telling me about Raj and Howard getting it on.'

'Punishment?' Leonard frowned slightly, imagining all the things she could do to them. He really hoped she wouldn't make them listen to her sing. He didn't think he could go through that again.

'But I did nothing wrong,' Sheldon exclaimed, his fork halfway to his mouth. 'Its not compulsory to tell everyone when two friends get together. Is it?' he directed his last question at Leonard, who shrugged one shoulder casually.

'I'm not_ everyone_,' Penny scowled. 'I am your amazing, wonderful friend and neighbour who likes to know these things.'

'What's the punishment?' Howard asked, a smarmy grin sliding onto his face. 'Apparently gay men don't like it when women strip, you could always do that.' Penny smacked him around the back of his head the same time Raj elbowed him hard in the stomach. 'Aww, come on, love,' Howard pouted at his boyfriend. 'You know I was joking.'

'Anyway,' Penny stood up and grabbed her purse, which was hanging over the back of Sheldon's desk chair. 'I thought we could watch _this _together.'

She had pulled a DVD case out of her purse, and was waving it at them with a large grin. Sheldon and Leonard, who had looked somewhat interested when they saw the DVD, paled when they saw the cover. 'Penny, that's a children's movie.'

Raj and Howard didn't look too bothered, and Penny only giggled as she put the DVD in the player, then grabbing the remote. 'Oh come on, my sister said its really good, and adults can watch it too.'

'Leonard,' Sheldon glanced at his boyfriend, who was looking very unhappy with the turn of events. 'What is this... Tangled... about?'

'It's a modern take on the classic Rapunzel story,' Raj answered, who had finally opened his bottle of light beer. 'I saw it last year. Its pretty good.'

'Of course you have,' Leonard rolled his eyes. Sheldon, satisfied with the answer, settled back into the couch and watched as Penny pressed play, then came back to the couch. As the movie began to play, Leonard found himself relaxing. Although it was animated and meant for children, it _was_ pretty funny. Not to mention Rapunzel was kind of cute. Howard was thinking along the same lines, except with 'that Flynn guy'.

Howard had to elbow Raj several times throughout the movie, who despite claiming he'd only seen it once, was able to quote every scene without any mistakes, and was starting to get on the other's nerves. About three quarters through the movie, the phone rang, and Leonard answered it, moving into his bedroom so as not to disturb the others, who were absorbed in the movie.

'Oh, hello, Mother,' Leonard greeted, surprised, when he heard Beverly's voice. 'How are you?'

'Menopausal,' came the expected reply, in the same bland voice he'd known since childhood.

Leonard frowned slightly, but pushed on. 'Uhm, that's nice. Why are you calling?'

'I received a rather interesting email from your roommate and I would like to stay for the weekend. I've already bought my plane ticket. I'll be arriving Friday at 6pm.'

'I...' Leonard blinked, thrown off guard. Stay for the weekend? Email? What the hell had Sheldon said? 'Mother, what was in the email?'

'He informed me of your accident, and naturally that led to him discussing the details of his latest experiment,' his mother replied.

'Which experiment, Mother?' Leonard's grip on the phone tightened as he grew more and more frustrated. Why couldn't Beverly just tell him what he wanted to know, instead of making him fish for the answers?

'The one involving the kiss, of course,' Beverly said. Leonard paled, resisting the urge to groan and hit his head against something. Of course. _Of course _he'd told her. They were like two peas in a bloody pod. 'He also included full details of the results of the experiment, and your newfound relationship.'

'So, you know then,' Leonard gulped, wondering if she'd lecture him or not. He didn't really know where his mother stood on gay relationships. Sure, she'd seemed fine when she thought Raj and Howard were secretly in love (the fact that they were made it all the more funny) but neither of them were her son. He didn't know if she'd approve or not.

'The whole family knows,' he heard the slightly condescending tone even through the phone. 'Were you hoping to keep it a secret? Because updating your facebook status to 'in a relationship with Sheldon Cooper' isn't keeping it a secret.'

'Mother, I'm not friends with any family on facebook,' Leonard frowned, leaning against his bedroom door as he talked. He could hear the movie faintly, and he really wished he could hang up now and see the ending. It really was a funny movie.

'I know,' Beverly replied. 'But you are friends with your sister's boyfriend.'

'So he told everyone,' Leonard closed his eyes, repressing a sigh. 'Of course.' he'd have to delete him. It was no trouble. He hadn't really liked the guy anyway. He heard Sheldon laugh from the lounge, and vaguely wondered why. Usually the man only laughed at his own jokes, let alone one from a children's movie.

'I expect to be picked up from the airport at the appropriate time,' his mother carried on. 'I shall see you then. Goodbye, Leonard.'

'Yeah, bye, Mother,' Leonard hung up, hit the phone against his head a couple of times, and then walked back into the living room. The movie had just finished and Penny and Sheldon were talking casually.

'She's got a dream, she's got a dream,' Raj sang loudly, waving his bottle of beer around. From the looks of it, it wasn't his first. Or even his fifth.

'Hi,' Howard grinned at Leonard as he entered the room. 'How you doin'?' his voice was extremely flirty, as was his face. Leonard was worried until the man continued, 'the name's Flynn Ryder,' and he realized that Howard was just quoting the movie. Great. They all got to see the ending but him.

'Sheldon,' Leonard's voice, in comparison, was sharp, cutting through the conversation and singing. His boyfriend and Penny both looked up at him, wearing identical frowns at the tone in which Leonard spoke. 'Can I speak to you? _Alone_?'

Reminded eerily of his sister Missy when she was angry, Sheldon obediently followed Leonard into the man's bedroom, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed and wondering when the sheets had last been washed. Leonard closed the door behind them and stood in front of his boyfriend, his hands on his hips and a scowl twisting his lips. Sheldon didn't seem to notice how angry he was, looking up at him innocently. 'Well?'

'You told my mother, you bloody bastard!' Leonard burst out, causing Sheldon to flinch. He knew the man hated fighting but Leonard was in no mood to care. 'How could you do that, without even telling me?'

'I didn't think you'd mind,' Sheldon looked genuinely puzzled. 'Your mother isn't one to react badly to the news that her son is gay, so I assumed...'

'Oh, and your mother is?' Leonard resisted the urge to pace, clenching his fists. 'Maybe I should just go tell Mary. I'm sure she'd be very interested to know.'

Sheldon's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything. Would Leonard really do something like that? Eventually, he choked out, 'but... you can't.'

'Why not?'

'Because she'll hate me!' Sheldon seemed shocked at his own outburst, and the shock mingled with the hurt he was feeling because Leonard was mad at him, and the panic he felt because of Leonard's threat. He could feel stinging in his eyes, and turned his face away, determined not to cry. Great scientists of the 21st century did not cry.

Leonard's anger evaporated when he saw his friend's face. He sighed and sat next to him on the bed, reaching out and taking Sheldon's hand, entwining their fingers. 'Look, Shelly,' he started softly, wishing the physicist would look at him. 'I'm not going to tell your mother without your permission. I just wanted you to know how hurt I felt because you told my mother without even consulting me first.'

Sheldon's thumb began to rub rhythmically over Leonard's knuckles without conscious thought. They'd held hands many times since they started dating, and it now seemed natural to him. The touch soothed both of them, cooling the anger and hurt. Sheldon still didn't really understand why Leonard had been so angry, but he knew he had to do something. Say it. Just say it. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered after a few moments. He glanced over to see Leonard staring at his lap, and guilt hit him like a freight train. He had to do something more, something to prove he really did feel sorry, and to make it up to his friend. Taking a shuddering breath, and knowing he was going to regret it, he said softly, 'I want to tell my mother.'

Leonard looked up sharply, confused. A few moments ago, Sheldon had been on the verge of a panic attack at Leonard threatening to tell Mary, and now the man was offering to do it himself. He briefly considered asking why the sudden change happened, but Sheldon telling his mother was something Leonard had always wanted and he didn't want to push it, in case Sheldon went back on his offer. 'Really?'

'Yes.'

A tentative smile broke out on Leonard's face, and the stockier man reached over and hugged Sheldon tightly, who returned the embrace automatically, so used to close contact with Leonard now that he didn't even fret about germs. Sheldon closed his eyes and he let his head rest on Leonard's shoulder, worrying about what would happen. His mother wouldn't be happy. He just hoped she wouldn't do anything outrageous.

Not for the first time, he found himself glad his homophobic father wasn't around.

Xoxoxo

Sheldon had wanted to send his mother a quick email and hope for the best, but Leonard had refused. He said it might be easier to have both Mary and Beverly in the room when Sheldon finally told his mother, so she could see Beverly's view point and hopefully the cold, stoic woman would be able to bring the overly religious one around. Which meant, much to Sheldon's dismay, that Mary would have to visit at the same time as Beverly.

Leonard half expected Mary to be suspicious when Sheldon called and asked her to come for a visit over the weekend with a subdued, almost tremulous voice, but the woman was as cheerful as ever when she agreed and offered to bring Missy along as well. Just wanting the conversation over with, Sheldon quickly agreed and said goodbye. Leonard idly wondered how Missy would react to the fact the awkward, bumbling man who had asked her out previously was now dating her twin brother. He wondered how she would react to the entire situation itself. He knew she was religious, but not if she was as outrageous with it as her mother. Somehow, he doubted it.

Sheldon's nerves got more and more frayed as Friday approached, and he struggled not to take it out on his roommate. Several times he lost his temper at Howard and had to be led out of the room by Leonard to calm down, while Howard and Raj snickered about it in the living room. Missy called a couple of times to sort out sleeping arrangements, and eventually they worked out that Mary and Missy could stay with Penny, while Beverly would take Leonard's room and Leonard would sleep on the couch. At least, the couch was what he told Missy, he had no real intention of sleeping there. But he wasn't about to go and announce he'd be sleeping with Sheldon before they'd been informed of the relationship.

When the time finally came for Leonard to pick his mother up from the airport, Sheldon offered to do it instead. The shorter man sent his boyfriend a quizzical look. 'Really? But why?'

'It would be good to practice my driving,' Sheldon reached out and plucked the keys from Leonard's loose grip. 'And I would like to speak to Beverly about my... worries... before my mother arrives.'

'Ah,' Leonard nodded in understanding, watching as Sheldon pulled a jacket on. 'Will you be okay on your own?'

'Of course I will be,' Sheldon replied shortly. 'I'm a grown man, aren't I?'

He reached for the doorhandle but Leonard stepped in his way, looking anxious. There was a slight hesitation before the man reached out and tugged on Sheldon's jacket, pulling him closer. At Sheldon's questioning look, he muttered, 'I just thought... being our last moment alone together before everyone arrives...' he trailed off, but Sheldon got the picture, and leant down to press a soft kiss to his lips. When the taller man drew back, Leonard had to bite down hard on his tongue, the urge to blurt out 'I love you' arriving abruptly. He didn't even know where it had come from, he'd never even thought about his feelings for Sheldon in too much detail. He fought the urge for a few moments, wanting to say something to convey how much he cared for the taller man, and eventually settled on, 'stay safe, Shelly.'

'Try not to make my sister too uncomfortable if she and my mother arrive before I'm back,' came the flippant reply, but it was softened by the smile tugging at Sheldon's lips. Leonard let out a soft laugh, released Sheldon's jacket and stepped out of the way. The taller physicist touched Leonard's cheek briefly, before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Leonard leant against the closed door, pressing his forehead against it and letting out a sigh. He waited until he was sure Sheldon had at the very least gotten into the car. The urge hadn't left with his roommate, so he gave into it, murmuring softly, 'I love you, Sheldon,' to the empty living room.

Xoxoxo

Mary and Missy Cooper arrived a full ten minutes before Sheldon and Beverly got back. Leonard had let them settle on the couch with drinks and some snacks, and chatted with them rather nervously as they waited. Mary had been curious as to why the roommates had both invited their mothers at the same time, and Leonard replied vaguely that they wanted to tell them something.

Missy, on the other hand, had been curious as to why the man in front of her was no longer shy and awkward in her presence. She could write off the lack of flirting because her mother was in the room, but there seemed no attraction at all, not even a flicker. She wasn't bothered by it, she had no interest in him, but it made her wonder all the same. Perhaps he had a girlfriend, maybe it was Penny. Intrigued, she decided to ask. 'So, Leonard,' at her voice the short, stocky man blinked and looked at her. She crossed her legs and gave him a friendly smile. 'Do you have a girlfriend?'

Leonard winced slightly, for two reasons. One, the question came painfully close to uncovering the whole reason for the visit if he wasn't careful with his answer. Two, it sounded almost as if she were flirting with him. Just his luck that a beautiful woman would flirt with him _after _he got into a relationship with her twin brother. He took some time to carefully compose his facial expressions, and told her truthfully, 'no, I don't have a girlfriend.'

'Oh, that's a shame, I thought maybe you and Penny...' Missy trailed off, Leonard shook his head, and she shrugged. 'Oh well. Maybe later you two will hit it off.'

Leonard made a non-committing grunting noise, just as the door to the apartment opened and his mother, carrying a rather large suitcase, and Sheldon walked in. Even now, Leonard still felt a flutter of excitement at the sight of the man. Mary and Missy both stood up, smiling brightly at Beverly, who had the same neutral expression she always had. 'Hello, you must be Beverly Hofstadder,' Sheldon's mother beamed, offering her hand. 'I'm Mary Cooper, Shelly's mother.'

Beverly shook her hand with a slight nod. 'Nice to meet you,' she said blandly.

Missy held out her hand as well, still smiling. 'I'm Missy Cooper, Shelly's sister.'

'Interesting,' Beverly commented dryly as they shook hands. 'You're the twin sister. A classic case of fraternal twins being exact opposites, quite fascinating really, although they are no more alike than any other siblings. However, not many people seem to realize this. I read a paper on it once, I-'

'Mother,' Leonard interjected hurriedly, seeing the blank look on Missy's face. 'How was your flight?'

'Dismal,' his mother plucked an imaginary piece of lint from her skirt, but offered no further comment. Leonard offered to put her suitcase in his room and she agreed, following him into the bedroom and watching him disinterestedly. She spoke up eventually. 'I assume Sheldon's mother and sister are not aware of the situation?'

'No, they're not,' Leonard straightened from placing the suitcase at the foot of his bed and turned to face his mother. 'And I would appreciate it if you didn't tell them, or make it too obvious. Sheldon wants to tell them himself.'

'I understand,' Beverly nodded. Relieved she wouldn't 'spill the beans', so to speak, Leonard led her back into the living room, where Sheldon waited with his mother and sister. Beverly took the lone arm chair whilst Mary and Missy sat on the couch. Leonard walked over to stand beside Sheldon, who looked completely calm and collected, except for the slight trembling of his hands, and the tiny bead of sweat on his forehead.

'Mom,' he started, for all the world sounding like he was about to present a paper. 'I invited you here to tell you something you may not like,' his voice didn't quiver in the slightest, but another bead of sweat had joined the other one, and his stomach was twisting nastily. He wished he hadn't had chinese for lunch. 'Missy has the right to know too, of course, and Beverly is here because it involves Leonard, but she already knows what I'm about to say.'

Leonard watched Mary intently, who looked completely mystified. She gave her son her best 'I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about-but-I'm-used-to-that' smile, and patted the seat beside her. 'Do you want to sit down while you tell me, Snickerdoodle?'

The pet nickname made Sheldon wince, and he shook his head. 'No thank you, I'd like to stand,' his voice cracked slightly, and he winced yet again. Leonard was standing next to him, very close, and he purposely brushed his hand against Sheldon's, making it look like an accident. The taller man let the touch sooth him, grateful for his roommate's support. 'Mom, I'm... I'm gay.'

There. He'd said it. He felt cool relief wash over him, and he relaxed slightly. He couldn't take it back, and the anxiety of wanting to tell but worrying he'd talk himself out of it was gone. He could live with the consequences. But, seeing his mother and sister's faces, he suddenly doubted he could.

Leonard was a little surprised himself, he'd expected Sheldon to announce the relationship, not his sexuality. He didn't even know the man had figured out what it was until now. He didn't look at Mary or Missy to see their reactions. It didn't matter to him. What mattered was Sheldon, and looking up at the taller physicist, he felt a surge of love. To tell your extremely religious mother that you're gay is an amazingly brave thing, and he was proud of Sheldon for it.

Mary Cooper sat stunned, not speaking for a full minute. She seemed to be carefully formulating her reply, and when she finally did speak, it was with a poisonous voice. 'Sheldon, you know that homosexuality is a sin,' she warned softly. 'Why on earth would you choose to disappoint me like this?'

'Homosexuality is not a choice,' Sheldon replied, his voice firm. 'I was born like this, Mom. I didn't choose it, nor did I want to disappoint you. But you know full well I don't believe in God.'

'You,' Mary turned her attention to Leonard, and her eyes drilled into him. 'Sheldon was never like this until he met you. What did you do to my baby?'

Leonard opened his mouth, but was too shocked to reply. He was angry, too, that the woman was willing to blame him for something that wasn't even a bad thing. While Beverly and Missy observed silently, Sheldon took Leonard's hand in his, in full view of his mother, and spoke quietly. 'He did nothing but support me, Mom. I would like your support as well.'

Mary stood and collected her suitcase. She gave her son one last look. 'Don't speak to me until you've come to your senses. I'll be praying for you.' the last words were spoken harshly, and she slammed the apartment door behind her when she left. Leonard squeezed the hand in his gently.

'It's not her fault,' Sheldon murmured. 'She's just confused.'

He seemed to be in denial. Leonard frowned, but before he could say something, Missy had enveloped her twin in a warm hug, rubbing his back. 'I love you no matter what, Shelly,' she told him gently.

Grateful for the fact that Sheldon had a loving twin sister, he left his boyfriend to her consoling embraces as he approached his mother, who had been silent up until now. She watched him with her usual blank face, and Leonard was suddenly glad she was his mother. Sure, he'd have loved to grow up with more hugs, birthday parties and presents, but his mother loved him and showed it through her unquestioning support in his decisions. His lips curved slightly as he took her empty tea cup. 'How intriguing,' Beverly murmured in a low voice, her eyes switching from her son to Sheldon. 'He has such a brilliant mind, and yet the woman who bore him, to put it simply, does not.'

Leonard made an agreeing noise before leaving her to put the empty tea cup in the sink. Missy had finished comforting her brother and approached Beverly with a smile. 'I'm sure Shelly and Leonard would love some alone time, would you like to come with me to visit Penny, Mrs. Hofstadder?'

'Beverly, if you will,' the woman responded, standing up gracefully and brushing her skirt. 'I was meaning to go see how little Slugger was doing, anyway.'

Missy blinked, but she was well used to being confused when around people like her brother, and she let the comment go without questioning it. She led Beverly out of the apartment, winking at Leonard before she closed the door.

Sheldon had recovered from the shock of what had happened by that time, so he turned to Leonard with a calm expression, although he certainly didn't feel calm on the inside. 'It went better than expected, I suppose,' he crossed to the couch and sat in his spot, looking for all the world like he was getting ready to watch TV, or something similarly mundane.

Leonard let out a derisive snort, leaning against the island in the kitchen and crossing his arms. He felt a lot of sympathy for Sheldon, but knew the man was to proud to accept any of the ususal 'I'm sorry for what happened' statements, so he simply held the feelings in check, something he was getting better at doing. 'What were you expecting, then?' he felt strange, conversing so casually about something he considered to be a huge deal. They were acting as if they were discussing the weather.

'When she and dad were fighting pretty bad,' Sheldon started softly. 'He admitted to cheating on her several times. Well, it wasn't so much as admitted, as it was thrown in her face.' he blinked, glanced down at his perfectly shaped fingernails, resisting the sudden temptation to chew on them. Who knew how many germs he'd picked up on his hands? 'She, for lack of better words, freaked out. Smacked him around the face and tried to hit him with a frying pan,' his voice got quieter as the memory of what he was talking about played over and over in his brain. He remembered what he had felt, a tiny 6-year-old, watching his parents fight, hearing the screaming and yelling and the crying, even with his hands over his ears. Watching as his father wrestled the frying pan off her and receive a long scratch as she raked her fingernails down his face. Neither of them had heard him crying, but Missy had, and even at 6-years-old, she had superior social skills to her brother, and the fighting didn't affect her as badly. She was able to steer him away and distract him while their mother cried hysterically in the kitchen.

'You thought she'd hit you?' Leonard crossed over to sit next to Sheldon on the couch, who seemed to have slipped into a melancholy mood because of reliving one of his worst memories, and because of the events earlier that day. Leonard touched his arm gently. 'I wouldn't have let her hit you, you know.'

'I know,' Sheldon stated simply. Soft blue eyes looked over to meet worried brown ones. For Leonard's benefit, he attempted a smile, only managing to make the corners of his mouth twitch slightly.

'You okay, buddy?' Leonard's hand on his arm moved down slightly, rubbing gently over the inside of Sheldon's wrist, a particularly sensitive spot, making the slender man shiver. He nodded silently, and they sat like that for several long moments, each processing the events that had just happened.

Sheldon glanced down at the hand on his wrist, and the pleasant, soothing feelings he was experiencing from the simple touch vanished when his mind replayed his mother's words to him, 'homosexuality is a sin'. He'd never believed in God. Didn't believe in sinning, or hell. But her anger and disappointment tore a hole in him and suddenly he felt utterly ashamed to be this close to another man, knowing how his mother felt about it. He slid his wrist away slowly, felt both disappointment and relief. He fought away his attraction for Leonard. How could he like men when his mother was so obviously disgusted by it? He felt a headache start to form, and he was confused and wary. He so wished he were back in his simple life of algorithms, theories and video games. He was out of his depth when dealing with emotions and relationships.

'Shelly?' Leonard's voice cut through his thoughts. 'You sure you're okay?'

'Yes,' Sheldon cleared his throat, looked away. Even the man's voice sent shivers of attraction through him, and he mentally scolded himself for it, thinking of his mother. 'I'm going to retire for the night. I would prefer it if you slept on the couch tonight.'

Leonard felt a throb of hurt at the statement, but he nodded slowly. 'Sure, that's fine.' It was understandable, of course. Sheldon had just gone through a life changing experience, no wonder he wanted time to himself. But the rejection still hurt. 'Sweet dreams, Sheldon.'

His only acknowledgment was a curt nod, and as Sheldon went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, Leonard let his head flop back and exhaled slowly. Mary Cooper sure had a lot to answer for.

Xoxoxo

**Note: I assumed the Sheldon has blue eyes, and Leonard has brown. I never checked, so I apologize if I got that wrong.**

**Also, thank you for the wonderful reviews, they put a smile on my face every time.**

**So, I've decided to wrap this story up, and the ending is in sight. Two or three more chapters, and maybe an epilogue, and then we're finished. **

**If any of you are interested in Artemis Fowl fanfiction, I'm toying with the idea of starting an Artler after this is finished. Feel free to tell me what you think.**

**Thank you for bearing with me, I originally tried to update every weekend but schoolwork and club meetings mixed with lack of sleep and my addiction to Artemis Fowl fanfiction got in the way. I'm sorry how long this chapter took me.**

**Please review, I love each and every one of them!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome back, guys.**

Xoxoxo

Sheldon woke up shivering, his body drenched in sweat. His brilliant, genius mind automatically processed his shaking, the sweating, the accelerated heart beat and breathing. It did nothing to calm him. The nightmare still lingered in his mind, of his mother and father's fight. Telling Leonard about it had triggered the dreams again, ones he used to have until he was 15, and his sister talked him into seeing a counselor.

Leonard.

Sheldon closed his eyes, took in a deep breath. His mother's words still swirled in his head, bearing down on him, filling him with shame. How could he hurt her like that? The woman who raised him? Gave him everything he had, his brilliant mind, his loving sister. And he repaid her with disappointment.

If Sheldon had had experience with relationships and feelings like Leonard, he would have realized that what he was feeling was stupid, that his mother was being stubborn and his sexuality was nothing to be ashamed of. But this was his first real relationship and he had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that his mother, a constant source of love and support, had cut herself off from him, and would not speak to him unless he was not with Leonard anymore.

Leonard.

God, even his name made his stomach twist, although not uncomfortably. But mixed in with the twisting was shame, disappointment, sadness. He couldn't do this. He couldn't lose his mother.

Another part of him argued he couldn't lose Leonard either, but he meticulously shut that part down. Family was most important, wasn't it? It had to be. Sheldon sat up in his bed, buried his face in his hands. He was so out of his depth, and had no idea what he was doing. He wanted to chart this all out, come up with some equation that would spit out an answer for him. But he was alone. Science could not help him here.

He'd have to do it.

Xoxoxo

'You're... _what_?' Leonard spluttered, his fork halfway to his mouth. They were sitting down for lunch, something homemade this time that Missy had cooked before she'd gone off on a shopping trip with Penny and Beverly. That left Leonard, Howard, Raj and Sheldon to finish off the food by themselves. At the moment, there was a heavy silence as Raj and Howard stared at Sheldon, who was sitting ramrod straight and determinedly avoiding Leonard's eyes.

'You... You heard me,' Sheldon's attempt at sounded firm failed when his voice trembled slightly, and his hands clutched all the more tighter at his napkin, crinkling it. 'I'm breaking up with you.'

'You're insane,' Leonard breathed, hurt giving way to anger for the moment. 'Not only are you taking your stupid fucking _mother's _advice, but you chose to do it here _in front of these two?_' his voice rose to a yell as he pointed wildly and Raj and Howard, and Sheldon winced slightly, staring at a spot above Leonard's right shoulder. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' Leonard continued, his voice breaking slightly as he struggled to contain the amount of anger her was experiencing. Perhaps the pain made the anger stronger.

Sheldon said nothing, not moving, barely even breathing. Leonard dropped his fork in disgust on the table, purposely missing the plate. Let his lunatic of a boyfriend- sorry, ex-boyfriend- clean up the mess. Without real conscious thought, he crossed over to the door and picked up his car keys. 'Woah, Leonard,' Raj piped up, frowning at him. 'Dude, you know what happened last time you went for a drive when you were angry.'

'I'll get a fucking taxi then!' Leonard slammed the door behind him, breathing heavily. He normally never swore, considered it rude and crass, but right now he didn't care. He'd swear all he liked because nothing mattered anymore. He'd lost the one thing he cared for the most, all because of Mary Cooper and her stupid beliefs.

Back in the apartment, Sheldon was carefully smoothing out his napkin, avoiding looking up and hoping no one saw his hands trembling. Howard was glaring at him, and he stood up from his seat on the couch to tower over Sheldon, quite a feat, even when Sheldon was sitting. Howard put his hands on his hips, angry beyond belief. 'What in the hell is wrong with you?' he growled. 'Leonard stood up for you, supported you all the way, has always been there for you and you ditch him for someone who can't accept you for who you are?'

'I hardly see this as any of your concern,' Sheldon sniffed, trying to pull off haughtiness, when inside his world was crumbling. He thought this would make him feel better. God, it only made it worse, so much worse. But everything would be better when he called his mother and told her. Right?

'Sheldon,' Howard lowered his voice, and somehow the dangerous tones were worse than the shouting. 'Breaking up with Leonard does not change the fact you are gay. You can try and hide it forever but it is who you are and nothing will change that. Don't be a dumbass.'

His words hit home, but Sheldon stubbornly refused to backtrack now he was so far into this. His mother hadn't ever been particularly smart. She wouldn't realize that being single wouldn't mean Sheldon wasn't gay. It would just mean he was lonely. But everything would be fine as long as he had his mother, and his sister. His family.

His mind flashed back to when Leonard was depressed over Beverly not telling him anything, and how he had claimed that he was Leonard's surrogate family. The tiny part of his brain that was his sense of humor snorted about how that must make Sheldon gay and a partaker of incest. The rest of him did not find it so funny. But Leonard was family too. And family was important. Almost groaning aloud, Sheldon lamented over the fact he was thoroughly confused, and that feeling was unfamiliar to him. He hated it.

When Sheldon didn't respond, Howard shook his head and grabbed his things. 'Whatever, I'm going to go see if I can catch up to Leonard, make sure he doesn't do something stupid. You coming, Raj?'

'Sure,' Raj stood and started to gather his own things. Howard told him he'd wait by Raj's car and left. The Indian man had his things together a minute later, but he stopped by the door on the way out. He glanced over his shoulder at Sheldon, who was watching him with a carefully blank face. Raj smiled uneasily, understanding how confused his friend must be. He decided to give him one last piece of advice, and said softly, 'follow your heart,' before he left.

Somehow, that advice did nothing to help Sheldon at all.

Xoxoxo

Raj and Howard found Leonard later that night, slumped over the bar at the Cheesecake Factory. He seemed relatively unharmed, so they considered their mission a success, and decided to keep the man company. Howard slapped Leonard on the back as a way of greeting. 'Hey, buddy, you doing okay?'

They sat down as Leonard blinked up at them, looking thoroughly drunk. 'Do I look okay?' at least his words weren't slurring. 'The bastard dumped me for his mother.' Leonard tapped the bar counter, signaling the bartender, and the man silently topped up Leonard's shot glass, who downed it immediately.

'He's an idiot,' Howard consoled. 'He'll come round, just give him time.'

'Will he?' Leonard glared at Raj without meaning to. His glasses were on the table and he couldn't tell who was Howard and who was Raj. 'Have you ever known him to be flexible, or say he was wrong?'

'Have you ever known him to be interested in anyone, or treat anyone the way he treats you?' Raj countered, and then added, 'well, the way he treated you before today.'

'God, I can't help but go over every moment with him in my mind,' Leonard watched as his shot glass was filled yet again, then tipped the liquid into his mouth. He glanced up at the bartender and ordered a beer this time. 'He told me he'd always be there for me, you know? And then he just...' he trailed off, gesturing with a hand and shrugging. In his state, he couldn't really think of a word that fit. He opened his beer and took a gulp. 'I thought dating a guy would be easier,' he muttered into the bottle.

'It _is _easier,' Howard smirked a little. 'But Sheldon is not a guy. He's a robot.'

Leonard snorted, staring down at the counter. He wanted to forget his situation, and the drinking wasn't helping. It just made it harder to talk. He glanced over at Raj- or who he thought was Raj- and asked, 'can we see the rest of that kids movie? I never got to see the ending.'

'Sure thing,' Raj stood and Howard followed suit, each of them placing a hand on Leonard's arm to steady him as the drunken man stumbled off his bar stool. 'You gunna bring your beer?'

'Yeah, well, I paid for it,' Leonard stopped for a moment, put his glasses back on, and then passed the bartender a wad of notes from his wallet. 'Well, now I have.'

Howard picked up the beer and they made their way out to Raj's car, and bundled him up in the backseat. 'Raj has the DVD, so we'll go round to our place.'

The drive there was short and uneventful, with Leonard mumbling under his breath about robots and Howard and Raj wondering how they could fix this, even while knowing they couldn't. It was out of their hands. All they could do was support Leonard and hope everything would turn out okay.

Leonard seemed quite happy to be slumped along Raj and Howard's couch while the movie played, sipping at his beer and losing himself in the story. Raj and Howard sat at the table, keeping an eye on their friend and talking in low tones, so as not to disturb him. 'What's going to happen? He could sleep here if he wants to, but there is no way there'll be enough room for a long term stay,' Howard was saying softly. 'But we can't just leave him to face Sheldon on his own every day. That's just cruel.'

'It's his decision, and one he'll make when he's sober,' Raj crinkled his nose slightly. 'He reeks of alcohol.'

'No more than you do when you get drunk,' Howard pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

'Hey, you love when I get drunk,' Raj protested. 'I gave you that strip tease one time...'

'And everytime you kissed me, I could practically taste the booze,' Howard made a face. 'But you're damn sexy when you strip.'

Raj smirked, but it faded after a moment and he let out a sigh. 'Its hard to be happy in a relationship when friend's are going through break ups,' he mumbled softly, and Howard reached out to take his hand.

'He'll be fine, worry wort,' Howard brought the dark-skinned hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the palm, sending shivers through Raj's body. 'Things will work out.'

When the movie finished, Leonard sat up and rubbed his eyes. He'd raided Raj's fridge to continue drinking as he had watched, so instead of being a little more sober, he was completely trashed, and having an intense urge to find Sheldon and ravage him, regardless of the face the man no longer wanted him. He stumbled across to the table, and poked Howard's shoulder. 'I'm going to call a...' he paused, trying to remember the word. 'Yellow car thing.'

'Taxi?' Howard frowned slightly, and Leonard nodded. 'I thought you'd want to stay here for the night. Are you sure you want to go back to your apartment?'

'Sure I'm sure,' the man wiped his nose and pulled out his phone. 'No use in hiding,' he didn't sound very cheerful, and was slurring ever so slightly. Raj placed a hand on his shoulder.

'I'll drop you home, no need to call a taxi,' he glanced over at Howard, smiled slightly. 'Have the bed ready when I get back?'

Howard smirked and gave him a wink. 'Oh, I will.'

'Not like that,' Raj rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips, and he herded Leonard out the door and to his car. The drunk man stumbled a few times, but Raj kept a firm grip on his arm to keep him from falling completely. Leonard sat in the front this time, and as they were driving, he turned the heater on, then the air con, and wound down his window. 'Would you stop that?' Raj grumbled, trying to turn everything off and pay attention to the road at the same time.

'But its hot in here,' Leonard complained, tugging his shirt over his head and flinging it into the back seat.

Normally, Raj wouldn't complain at having a half naked man in his car, but he was in a committed relationship and dammit, he was happy. 'Put your bloody shirt back on,' he snapped. 'And wind up the window, its absolutely freezing.'

'I can't find my shirt,' Leonard was twisting, trying to get a good look at the backseat and failing miserably. 'Can you do it for me?'

'I'm driving,' Raj found himself grateful they were only a street away from Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. He checked the time on the dashboard. 11pm. He hoped Sheldon was in bed by now. 'Just stay put an- _put your seatbelt back on!_'

'I'll drive if you want,' Leonard offered, reaching over to take the wheel. Raj batted his hands away and the drunken man pouted. 'Aww, come on, you're acting like Mother Gothel.'

'Who?' Raj gritted his teeth, pulling into a parking space outside the apartment and turned the car off.

'Mother Gothel,' Leonard repeated. 'The witch from the movie, remember?'

'Right,' Raj got out of the car, opened the door for the backseat and retrieved Leonard's shirt before pulling the owner of said shirt of out the car and handing it to him. 'Put this on, you'll catch a cold,' Raj locked the car and pushed Leonard into the building, making sure he got to his apartment in one piece.

'Thanks for driving me,' Leonard smiled at the Indian, who grunted wearily in response. When they reached Leonard's door, Raj patted his shoulder.

'You'll be okay dude,' he paused a moment. 'Just put on your bloody shirt.'

'Right,' Leonard unlocked the door, making no move to do so. 'See you, Mother Gothel.'

Raj rolled his eyes and left. Leonard pushed the door open and it banged against the wall, and the man shuffled inside before shutting it again, once again making no move to be quiet. The lights were still on, but the living room was empty. 'Shelly!' Leonard called, one hand against the wall to stop him from tumbling over. In his state, all he wanted to do was see Sheldon. He didn't care one bit that the man was being a stubborn jackass.

Sheldon came out of his bedroom and into the living room in his pyjamas, but he didn't look as if he'd been sleeping. He took in the sight of Leonard almost slumping down the wall, his messed up hair and skewed glasses, shirt off and in his hand, and the weird little laughs coming from Leonard's throat. 'You're drunk,' he concluded.

Leonard, who had been focusing on the abstract texture of the wall and hadn't noticed his roommate enter, jerked his head up, and winced when the world started spinning. When he could see relatively normally again, he took a small step towards Sheldon, drawling a line from the movie he'd just watched, '_well_, somebody get me a glass, because I just found me a tall drink of water.'

'Hn,' Sheldon looked unimpressed, and crossed his arms over his chest. 'Get to bed, before you fall over.'

'But Shelly,' the soft whiney voice made the taller man wince and look away determinedly. 'I'm not tired.'

'You're acting like a child,' Sheldon tried and failed to keep the snap out of his voice. He wanted Leonard to leave now, before either of then did something stupid. He'd already disappointed himself when he couldn't bring himself to call Mary, he didn't want to pile kissing a drunken Leonard on top of that. 'And be quiet, you'll wake your mother.'

Leonard stumbled over to the couch and collapsed on it, curling in on himself and he slipped off his glasses and placed them on the low table near the couch. The childlike cheerfulness faded, to be replaced by a depressed sigh. 'Fine,' he muttered. 'You so obviously hate me anyway.'

Sheldon clutched the material of his pyjamas, trying to pretend he was unaffected by the sight of Leonard looking so upset and alone. 'I don't hate you,' he grumbled eventually, crossing over to stand nearer. He couldn't sit because the man was in his spot, and he refused to sit anywhere else.

Leonard glanced up at him, shivering slightly from the cold, and there were tears pooling in his eyes. 'Then why did you break up with me, Shelly?' his voice cracked as the tears began to fall. 'I love you. I supported you. You can't give up your happiness to keep your mother satisfied.' Sheldon closed his eyes, trying desperately to ignore the sniffs and sobs coming from Leonard.

_I love you_.

He said he loved him. Sure, the man was drunk off his face but being intoxicated didn't mean you suddenly love someone. It just meant you could actually tell them. Right? 'Leonard,' he whispered, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that the man had drifted off to sleep, clutching his shirt in his hands. His face was still wet from the tears, and Sheldon let out a sigh and brought a spare blanket from his room to cover his roommate. He'd never been more confused.

_I love you._

Xoxoxo

While Sheldon had not called his mother to inform her of the break up, Missy had taken it upon herself to do so when she, Penny and Beverly had arrived back from their shopping trip to find Sheldon compulsively cleaning every inch of his apartment. Missy had retreated to Penny's to do so, but Sheldon could hear her yelling even from across the hall. Missy loved her mother, but she was closer to her twin and was on his side. She thought you should be able to love who you want, regardless of gender. There were worse things in the world than men loving men.

Leonard had woken up on Sunday to a pounding headache and dry throat. He sat up with a groan, trying not to throw up as he searched for his glasses and pushed them on. 'Where the hell is my shirt?' he muttered to himself, searching for a moment before locating it underneath him. He remembered most of the last night, except for the car ride home, and disappointingly, the movie. But he wished he'd forgotten the part with Sheldon, and how he'd confessed his feelings. Speaking of Sheldon, Leonard looked at his watch and saw it was well into the afternoon, but could find no trace of his roommate or his mother. He sipped at a glass of water as he stood in the doorway to Sheldon's room, staring at the meticulously made bed. As far as he knew, they'd had no plans to go out today. But then again, there was no reason for Sheldon to stick to the plan of them playing video games after what happened. Especially considering Leonard was hungover and until a few minutes ago, asleep on the couch.

When Leonard had freshened up, brushed his hair and taken some pain killers, he felt okay enough to move around without feeling like he was going to throw up. He crossed over to Penny's apartment and knocked on the door. She answered after a few moments, and her face was sympathetic. She knew, then. But when she opened the door wider to allow him to enter, he saw that Missy, Beverly, Sheldon and _Mary _were all sitting in the living room, and staring at him. 'I do _not_ need this right now,' Leonard muttered, turning to go back to his apartment. Penny grabbed his arm.

'Hold on, Leonard,' she said softly. 'We were all waiting for you.'

'Why?' he glanced at Mary, who had a particularly sour look on her face as she stared down at her lap.

'We need to talk,' Sheldon spoke from his spot, looking as if nothing were out of the ordinary. How Sheldon could look and act completely normal in such weird situations, Leonard would never know.

'Alright...' He walked inside and Penny shut the door behind him. He sat down next to his mother on the couch, and Penny took a chair at the island in her kitchen, turning it to face the rest of them. Missy was beside Beverly, and Mary was on her own, sitting on a chair that usually sat behind the door, but had been pulled forward so it was closer to the couch.

There was a tense silence, before Missy sighed and rolled her eyes. 'Mom, don't you have something to say?'

'Yes,' Mary smoothed her skirt, not looking pleased as she cleared her throat, almost as if she were stalling for time. 'As I have said to Shelly, I...' she paused, glanced up at Leonard, who's anger towards her had been put on the back burner because of his curiosity. 'I'm sorry for everything I said. It was wrong of me to judge. And while I still believe homosexuality is a sin...' Leonard fought back a sneer and Sheldon looked down at his lap. 'I am willing to put that aside after being informed how unhappy my son is.'

Missy and Penny smiled at her, and Mary let out a little sigh. 'Sheldon has never been in a relationship up until now, and if you make him happy...' she looked at Leonard. 'Then I can accept that.'

'Thank you,' Sheldon said softly. He looked relieved, although his hands were clutching the material of his pant legs rather tightly. 'I appreciate your support.'

'Missy called Mary when she saw how upset Sheldon was,' Penny said, seeing how confused Leonard looked. 'And she came over. But seeing as you were passed out on the couch, she decided to talk to Sheldon first, and you when you woke up.'

'Right, well,' Missy stood, beaming at Leonard. 'Now that that's been sorted, off with you two.'

'What?' Leonard blinked.

'You and Shelly have some things to discuss, so go back to your apartment and do so,' Missy grinned at them.

Sheldon stood up and Leonard followed suit, finding the entire situation weird. They left Penny's and went back to their apartment. Sheldon immediately sat in his spot, and Leonard hovered uncertainly near the door. Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Leonard was wondering if Sheldon's mind had been changed at all, even if his mother had changed hers. Sheldon was wondering if Leonard was still angry at him. 'I was worried, you know,' Sheldon said finally, in a low voice, not looking at his roommate. 'When you left. I thought you might get in an accident again. I couldn't sleep until you got home.'

'I took a taxi to the bar,' Leonard couldn't stop fiddling with his hands, brushing his pants, plucking imaginary lint off his shirt, anything to distract him from the fact he was having an incredibly awkward conversation with his ex-boyfriend. 'I didn't want a repeat of last time. Actually, I really should call Howard and Raj and thank them for taking care of me.'

'Why weren't you wearing a shirt?' Sheldon knew he should be talking about the break up, their relationship, but he was too nervous to bring it up.

'I'm not sure,' Leonard frowned slightly. 'I can't remember the ride home. I do remember Raj yelling at me though. Something about Mother Gothel.' there was a pause as he contemplated this, before sighing and looking at Sheldon. 'We should probably talk.'

'We are talking,' Sheldon said.

'You know what I mean.'

Sheldon glanced down at his hands, which were resting on his lap. 'I wouldn't expect you to forgive me after the mistake I made,' he had to force the last part out. He hated admitting his mistakes, almost as much as he hated apologizing for them. But he was going to do both. 'I'm sorry for what I did. You were right, you stood by me when my mother didn't, and I should have stood by you.'

Leonard crossed over to sit next to him on the couch, not quite touching, but almost. 'It's okay, Sheldon,' he said softly. 'Everyone makes mistakes, and you've had no experience in this kind of thing before. I forgive you.'

Sheldon glanced up at him, his face a mixture of hopeful and scared. 'Would you...? I mean, do you...?' Leonard waited patiently for his roommate to gather his courage. Sheldon closed his eyes, and then forced out, 'will you take me back?'

Leonard smiled, the hurt and anger of the previous days events washing away in the wake of the giddy feelings he now had. 'Of course I will, Shelly,' he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Sheldon's cheek. 'Why wouldn't I?'

Sheldon caught Leonard's jaw in his hand as the smaller man went to move away, and he turned his head so that this time, the kiss was on the lips. Leonard relaxed, melting into the kiss and scooting a bit closer. When Sheldon pulled back, he kept his hold on his roommate's face so they maintained eye contact. 'What you said when you were drunk, was that true?'

'You mean the part where I said I loved you?' Leonard asked softly. Sheldon nodded. 'Yes, that was true.'

There was a lengthy pause, as the taller man stared into Leonard's eyes, searching for something. After a moment, he murmured, 'say it again.'

'I love you,' Leonard's lips curved into a smile.

'Again.'

'I love you, Shelly,' Leonard's smile widened.

'Again.'

Leonard leaned forward and kissed him, moving even closer and sliding his tongue along Sheldon's lower lip. The taller physicist opened his mouth, and Leonard kissed him more deeply. It was the first time Leonard had taken control of their kiss in a long time. He pulled back slightly, their lips inches apart. 'I love you more than anything in this world, Sheldon,' he breathed softly.

Sheldon felt a jolt in his chest, and tingles all over his body, mainly centered around his lips, where Leonard's breath was teasing over them. His hand was still on Leonard's face, and he stroked it gently. 'I love you more than Star Trek.'

Leonard started laughing, and he wrapped his arms around Sheldon, pulling him into a tight hug. 'God, what would I do without you, Shelly?'

'Any number of things, I suppose,' Sheldon replied, but his lips curved into a smile all the same.

Xoxoxo

**I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it felt right to end it there. On the plus side, I finished this merely a few days after I posted the last chapter so this one will be posted in record timing.**

**Surprisingly, I did this one all in one go. Spent pretty much the whole day on it. Drunken Leonard was fun to write, I'll tell you. **

**I'm not sure if the epilogue will be the next chapter, or the one after it, but either way the story is drawing to a close. It makes me a little sad but hey, all good things must come to an end, right? And if you ask nicely, I might consider writing another Shelnard after this!**

**A big thank you to my friend Ashlee, who is a constant source of inspiration and helped me come up with the entire plot for the last few chapters during Chemistry when we really should have been doing work. I am in your debt!**

**Once again, please review. I love them all!**

**ALSO: I cut open my hand so its a little hard to type at the moment, sorry for how slow everything is.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I was kind of stumped how to proceed from the last chapter. I know I want to do this chapter and an epilogue, but had no idea what should go in here. Ashlee just said to do the epilogue, but I promised at least ten so here it comes. Bear with me!**

**IMPORTANT: ****I've started on a one-shot side story, basically its what happened when Howard set out to seduce Raj. I started it when I got writers block for this chapter. So look out for it!**

Xoxoxo

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the group of four men entered the Cheesecake Factory and took their usual seats. They came here for dinner every week, and the staff were all used to them by now. Only Penny knew the significance of this night, and she was excited to see how it would go.

Double date night.

'Hey guys,' Penny beamed at them as she approached them. 'Having a good night so far?'

'Hardly,' Sheldon responded with a frown aimed towards Howard. 'Wolowitz here thought it was perfectly reasonable to shout my cell phone number to strangers on the sidewalk as we drove past. I now have a total of 10 messages and 3 calls from people I do not know.'

'Come on, Shelly,' Howard grinned at him, knowing the use of the nickname would annoy Sheldon. 'I just wanted you to expand your circle, meet some new people.'

'Meet some new-?' Sheldon spluttered. He was about to launch into a full on rant, but Leonard reached over and took his hand. The touch silenced him, and the taller man looked over at his boyfriend, who raised an eyebrow with a smile. 'Fine,' he grumbled after a moment. 'I'll have the usual, Penny.'

Penny nodded, not even bothering to write the order down in her notebook. 'I take it that everyone else is having the usual?' the rest of them nodded, so she smiled. 'Alright, coming right up. You boys have fun.'

As she left, Sheldon aimed a glare at Howard, who only grinned in response. Raj elbowed Howard lightly, whispering in his ear, 'you shouldn't wind him up, you know. This is supposed to be a romantic evening.'

'Aww, come on, Raj,' Howard whined softly. 'I was just getting him nice and frustrated so he can take it out on Leonard later,' he punctuated the sentence with a wink and a smirk. Seeing Raj's unimpressed look, he sighed and pressed his forehead lightly against the larger man's shoulder for a few moments. 'Sorry, old habits die hard.'

Raj smiled, relishing the small contact, almost sighing when his friend pulled away. Even after all this time, he still craved any touch at all from Howard, and everytime he got one, it made him incredibly happy. Leonard was grinning at them from across the table, and Raj smiled back, before it was replaced by a mock scowl. 'Leonard, you never apologized for when you got drunk off your face and terrorized me in my car.'

'What?' Leonard tilted his head, genuinely confused, as Penny came back with their orders and left again. 'I don't remember the car ride home. What did I do?'

Raj picked up a slice of pizza, arched a brow at Leonard as he took a bite and chewed. 'You wouldn't stay still, took your top off, wouldn't wind up the window and took your seatbelt off, among other things.'

Howard snorted into his shrimp caesar salad. 'Sounds like you're a crazier drunk than my mom,' he snickered, earning a half-hearted glare from Leonard. Howard had mentioned his mother without thinking, and now that he was thinking about her, he felt a little sad. She hadn't talked to him in a while. Ever since she had found out about him and Raj, she'd been growing more distant. But everytime he looked at the man sitting by his side, he knew it was worth it.

'So,' Raj picked up on Howard's sudden silence, tried to distract him. 'Is there a name for a double date with four men?'

'Weird?' Leonard suggested, grinning.

'I don't really see the difference,' Sheldon shrugged. 'We've had dinner here together for a long time.'

'Yes, but now we're all dating,' Raj tried to explain.

'So?'

'Give up, Raj,' Leonard rolled his eyes as he ate. 'Sheldon doesn't see the significance in a lot of things,' there was a pause, when Sheldon looked at him and tried to figure out if that was an insult or not. Deciding to give Leonard the benefit of the doubt, he let it pass without comment.

'So,' Howard glanced at Sheldon. 'Its been a couple of weeks. How much longer is Missy staying?'

Sheldon shrugged lightly. His sister had agreed to stay longer along with Leonard's mother, but Mary had left almost straight away. He pretended it didn't bother him, but if he were really honest with himself, it kind of did. 'Missy is staying another few nights, as is Beverly.'

'How is Missy getting back, if your mom left?' Raj asked, frowning.

Howard scowled down at his dinner at his boyfriend mentioning Sheldon's twin, but it went unnoticed. He'd always hated how Missy favored Raj over him. At first, it was because she was a beautiful woman and he'd wanted her for himself. But now, it was because she was a beautiful woman, a temptation for Raj, and he wanted to keep his boyfriend all to himself. He'd been pretty nervous when he'd found out Missy was staying, but Raj seemed to take no sexual interest in her. Even so, Howard was still wary.

'Missy was fine with catching a bus, she seemed pretty keen to stay and catch up with Penny,' Leonard poked at his food, glanced over at Sheldon to make sure he was okay with the mentioning of his mother. 'Penny's probably ecstatic that she has another female friend who isn't some sort of biologist.'

Howard shifted uneasily, looking at Leonard. 'Yeah, about that... How is Bernadette? I haven't spoken to her in a while.'

'She's doing better,' Leonard glanced at Raj, who had gone quiet. The Indian man still felt guilty about his involvement in their break-up, although he hadn't found out Howard had dumped her for him until quite a bit later. It wasn't Raj's fault, but he still felt bad for Bernadette. Who would feel good about their boyfriend dumping them for another man? 'She's started dating again,' Leonard continued. 'But she hasn't really found anyone permanent.'

Sheldon sniffed as he put his burger back down on his plate. 'How do you know all this? I wasn't aware you kept in touch.'

'We talk on the phone every now and again,' Leonard shrugged. 'Its no big deal, she likes hearing about my work and how Howard and Raj are doing.'

'She asks about us?' Howard frowned slightly.

'I think she's coming around, accepting what happened,' there was a pause. 'Most girls have that weird thing about wanting gay best friends, so I think she's starting to like the idea of having gay friends.' Howard grunted but didn't reply, starting on his food again.

Raj and Leonard exchanged a look. Okay, Leonard thought. Time to put the plan into motion.

Sheldon picked up his burger again, but almost dropped it when he felt soft fingers on top on his thigh, rubbing gently. He glanced sharply at Leonard, who was eating calmly, chatting to Raj and Howard at the same time. He looked completely normal, almost as if he didn't realize his own fingers were trailing up and down Sheldon's thigh. The thin man gulped and shifted, trying to control his arousal and move away from Leonard's hand. But there was only so far he could shift, and Leonard just reached over further. Sheldon fisted his hands, trying to keep his face neutral as Leonard's fingers trailed closer and closer to the place Sheldon wanted it the most, despite himself.

'Leonard,' he hissed softly, alarmed when his voice came out croaky. 'Stop it.'

'Stop what?' his boyfriend finally looked at him, and there was a mischievous little smirk playing around his lips. Sheldon glared at him, but wasn't about to voice what Leonard was doing aloud in case their two companions overheard. He found himself glad there was no way any other customer at the restaurant could see.

His whole body tense, Sheldon slowly began to eat again, trying to look as normal as possible. Howard and Raj both glanced at Leonard, then smirked at him. They both knew what was happening. Leonard had mentioned to them that although he and Sheldon had gotten back together, their sex life had been anything but stellar. In fact, they hadn't done anything, and it had been around three weeks. The Jewish/Indian duo had suggested a little under-the-table mischief, where Sheldon wouldn't be able to stop him without making a scene, and Leonard would be able to get the man excited enough that when they got home, Sheldon might finally be in the mood. At least, that was the plan.

Leonard casually let his fingers brush against the bulge in Sheldon's pants, smirking when the man tensed further and drew in a sharp breath. He started to stroke him through his pants slowly, teasingly, building the tension. Sheldon was hardly eating, struggling to keep his breathing normal and to not move his hips. He glared at Leonard, but the smaller man took no notice, continuing to eat his dinner with his free hand. Sheldon hated not being in control, but at the same time, it was kind of arousing. He'd never really experienced Leonard being in full control, normally Sheldon never let the situation get to that point. Realizing the sooner he ate, the sooner they could get home, he tore into his burger, causing Howard to stifle a snicker.

When the group began to consider heading home, Penny had already left, which was why they were surprised when she entered the restaurant again, looking furious. She stomped over to their table, her face set in a frown. 'My car broke down as I was turning the corner,' she grumbled in response to their questioning looks. 'Would I be able to get a ride home with you, Leonard?'

Sheldon desperately wanted to shout 'no!'. He'd planned on getting revenge on Leonard in the car for the man's teasing, but before he could tell Penny it was completely her fault that she didn't check her engine and she should find her own way home, Leonard had already agreed. 'Sure you can,' he smiled, his fingers still dancing over Sheldon's arousal. 'We were leaving now anyway.'

Resisting the urge to throw a tantrum, Sheldon silently followed Leonard as the group left the restaurant. They said goodbye to Howard and Raj, who left for their own place, and Sheldon quickly seated himself in Leonard's car. Leonard and Penny joined him, chatting as they did so. 'How was the date?' Penny asked with a big smile from the back seat.

'It went well, I think,' Leonard glanced over at Sheldon, who was staring angrily out the window. Inwardly, Leonard smirked. Good. A little frustration would suit him nicely. 'Howard and Raj were always compatible.'

'And you two?' Penny inquired.

'Sheldon didn't see the difference between double date night and the other nights we go to the restaurant,' Leonard grinned as he turned a corner. 'Didn't exactly set the romantic mood.'

'That's to be expected, I guess,' the blonde woman smiled. 'You four spent almost all your time together.'

'That's why dates with just the two of us are a bit more special,' Leonard turned into their street. 'It's good to spend time with Sheldon without Howard making sexual remarks.'

Penny rolled her eyes as they parked, undoing her seatbelt. 'Typical Howard, ruining everyone else's date,' she opened the door and stepped out, Leonard and Sheldon doing the same.

'It's not exactly ruining the date,' Leonard held the door open for her and Sheldon as they entered the building, climbing the stairs. Penny went first, so she didn't see Sheldon press up against Leonard from behind, gripping the smaller man's waist tight enough to cause a small amount of pain. Leonard only smirked and pulled away, following Penny. 'Just the mood,' he continued.

When they reached the apartment, Sheldon opened his mouth to bite out a rude goodnight to Penny, but she pushed her way into their apartment before he could. 'You mind if I grab a cup of coffee? I'm all out.'

'Sure,' Leonard dropped the keys in the bowl, walked over to the kitchen to help her make it.

Sheldon expected her to grab the coffee packet and leave, but she started making the drink there and then. Gritting his teeth and shifting to hide his still painfully obvious arousal better, he watched as she settled into the couch with her newly made drink. She was babbling on about one of her workmates, and Leonard didn't seem to mind at all. The man had bloody teased Sheldon for ages, didn't that mean he wanted sex? So why was he so happy to let Penny stay when they could be engaging in the amorous activities right then?

Almost an hour later, Penny was starting to yawn. Sheldon was sitting next to her on the couch, and even the presence of an annoying blonde couldn't shift his arousal, especially when Leonard was sending him looks every now and again, which Sheldon had come to know as his 'bedroom stare', if those were the right words for it. 'Well,' Penny covered her mouth as she yawned again. 'I should head to bed, I have to get up early to call the mechanic tomorrow.'

Sheldon mentally celebrated these words, even as he stood to see her out the door with Leonard. 'Bye, guys!' she called cheerily.

'Yeah, bye, Penny- _Sheldon what the hell?_' Leonard's voice rose, but with good reason. As soon as he'd shut the door and turned to face his boyfriend, the man in question had shoved him back into the door and pressed up against him, both hands gripping Leonard's hips tightly and pinning them in place. Being handled roughly made the smaller man's breath hitch, and his arousal that had been simmering all night flared to life.

'I have been waiting for almost an hour for that wretched woman to leave,' Sheldon growled into Leonard's ear, making him shudder. 'And you did nothing to hurry along to process.'

'You should have more patience,' Leonard managed, and Sheldon pressed his erection more firmly into Leonard's stomach.

'I would have more patience if you hadn't teased me all night,' he spoke through gritted teeth, one of his hands moving between their bodies to flutter along Leonard's own erection. 'You know how the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold?'

'Nn,' Leonard was barely listening, focused on the fingers stroking him slowly.

'Well,' Sheldon trailed his mouth along Leonard's earlobe. 'In this case, its going to be very, _very_ hot,' he punctuated the statement with a nip, causing the smaller man to moan.

'Sheldon...' Leonard's hands reached up and gripped the taller man's shirt tightly, pulling him closer even as he pressed his hips forward, but the hand still on his hip pinned him even more forcefully into the door.

'Bedroom, now,' Sheldon grunted, and his hand moved to take Leonard's, yanking him towards Sheldon's room. If Leonard had been thinking more clearly, he would have wondered why his boyfriend was going into his own room, as any sexual activities were strictly prohibited in Sheldon's room, but neither of them were thinking clearly. They struggled to pull off their clothes as they stumbled towards the bed. Leonard was yanking at Sheldon's tie, finally managing to pull it over the man's head and dropping it to the floor.

Sheldon reached the bed first and he lay down on it, and he barely even noticed when Leonard climbed on top of him. The smaller man half expected to be shoved off, but it seemed Sheldon wasn't worrying about control at that moment. Leonard leaned down and kissed him even as he was struggling to undo the buttons on Sheldon's shirt. In comparison to undressing a woman, this was relatively easier. No breasts to get in the way, no weird places for buttons. It was just a simple shirt. Even so, it was hard to undo it when he was otherwise distracted.

As the shirt began to open inch by inch, Leonard trailed his lips over each bit of bared skin. Sheldon swallowed hard, his mouth going dry as Leonard kissed his neck and down his chest. The taller man's hands moved to grip curly hair, and gently, subtly directed each kiss. When Leonard's lips hit the skin just above where his pants started, Sheldon couldn't help but lift his hips slightly, arching his back. Leonard quickly yanked the shirt off and dropped it to the floor, where it was soon joined by his own shirt. Soon they were only in their pants and underwear, and Leonard moved back up to kiss Sheldon once again. Sheldon's hands began to fumble at the zip and button on his pants, and then Leonard's. Remembering the last time they had tried this, Leonard was about to stand up and just take his pants off that way, but Sheldon managed to get them part way down and it was easy from then on. They repeated this process with Sheldon, including their underwear, and finally they were naked.

Oh god.

Sheldon hid his embarrassment at being seen naked by attacking Leonard's mouth with his own, taking control forcefully. He started to slide Leonard's glasses off, unbelievably gentle in comparison to his kissing, but the smaller man shook his head and pulled away. 'Hold up a second,' he murmured. Sheldon watched, dumbfounded, as Leonard jumped off the bed and left the room. What the hell is going on? Is he coming back? What is he doing? Sheldon felt a little silly just lying naked in his bed alone so he slid under the covers.

Eventually Leonard reentered, this time without his glasses, but he moved towards the bed with startling accuracy for someone who usually walks into walls without the device. He climbed under the covers and their breaths came out in a rush when their chests touched. 'Where'd you go?' Sheldon asked, breaking the silence as his hand ran down Leonard's arm.

'I put my contacts in,' the smaller man moved a bit closer. 'Its too awkward to have my glasses on but I want to be able to see.'

'Oh,' Sheldon nodded. Despite the small break, neither of them had lost their desire, and they kissed again, this time softly. After a few moments their kiss deepened and the intensity of it skyrocketed. Leonard slipped a hand between them and wrapped it around Sheldon's arousal, causing the man to make a choked noise. He arched into the touch, his breathing becoming erratic. Leonard paused for a moment, then leaned away, reaching towards the floor for his pants even as the lower half of him stayed in the bed. He pulled a small tube from the pants pocket and pulled himself fully back into the bed. Leonard pressed the tube into Sheldon's hands silently, and the taller man inspected it closely. Lube.

Oh dear lord. They were actually going to do this.

'Are you sure?' it came out softly, and all he got was a nod in response, the other man clearly too nervous to speak.

Sheldon unscrewed the lid and squeezed some of the liquid onto his fingers. He reached down and gripped Leonard's cock, ignoring the man's gasp, and rubbed slowly in an effort to warm the lube up. Once he deemed it suitable, he reached further and his fingers bumped up against Leonard's entrance. The man stilled, and Sheldon knew that his heart beat was racing. He pushed one slick digit inside, and Leonard bit back a gasp.

It felt... Strange. Not painful, but a bit uncomfortable. Leonard resisted the urge to close his eyes and instead watched Sheldon, who had a look of intense concentration on his face as he slowly slid his finger in and out of him. A second lubed finger was added, and the scissored apart, causing Leonard to flinch and bite his lip. Sheldon pressed a soft kiss to his temple, and the slight pain faded. The taller man angled his fingers slightly, reaching further, and suddenly Leonard's vision whited for a few moments, pleasure coursing through him and robbing him of his breath. Somehow he managed to bite out, 'oh god, _Sheldon_,' as those fingers grazed that spot again and again. He barely felt the third finger until it was about halfway, and then the tingles of pain mixed with the pleasure, intensifying it. His back arched and he couldn't resist any longer and his eyes slid closed. Sheldon's breathing was just as erratic as his.

Leonard struggled to control his breathing and heart rate when Sheldon slid his fingers out and grabbed the tube again. He squeezed even more liquid into his hand and this time he wrapped it around his own cock, hissing at the coolness. As he stroked, making it slick to the touch from root to tip, he had to force himself to calculate a number of equations in his head, anything to stop this from being over all too soon. Finally, he gripped Leonard's waist and slid on top of him, positioning himself at the man's entrance.

Leonard's body resisted Sheldon as he began to push slowly, and Leonard had to bite his tongue to stop from whimpering in pain. It hurt a hell of a lot more than the fingers, a lot more than he was expecting. His hands, which were resting on Sheldon's shoulders, tightened as the pain rocked through him. There was a buzzing noise in his head and he struggled to breath properly. Then, suddenly, it all stopped. When his head cleared a little, Leonard realized that Sheldon had stopped moving, could go no deeper. Sheldon's eyes were focused on him, and there were little beads of sweat on his forehead. His shoulders were shaking as he strove to keep still, to let Leonard adjust. 'You okay?' the taller physicist gasped out. Leonard nodded once, distracted.

Slowly, the pain ebbed, helped along when Sheldon reached down to stroke his flagging erection, hand still slick with lube. Pleasure started to coil low in Leonard's stomach, and he moved his hips without thinking. Pain stabbed through him again, but this time considerably less than before, and he could stand it. Encouraged, he rocked slightly, and each time he moved, there was a little less pain, a little more pleasure. Eventually, he let out a breathy moan, and Sheldon started to move again. He angled his hips, pressing deeper and hit that spot again, causing Leonard to cry out and Sheldon to let out a strangled 'oh God.'

Sheldon continued to hit that spot, watching the shudders running through his boyfriend's body. His hands went back to Leonard's waist, but his stomach pressed against Leonard's cock, rubbing against it, so the smaller man barely noticed. Leonard lifted his hips, his hands tightening on Sheldon's shoulders as he began to get close. After a few moments where he teetered on the edge, his whole body tense and shuddering, he finally came, pleasure exploding from his gut. He forced out Sheldon's name between gritted teeth and the man responded by driving deeper and faster. A few seconds later and Sheldon was coming too, spilling into Leonard's body. He was groaning 'oh god, oh god,' repeatedly until the orgasm finally wound down, and his forehead pressed against Leonard's shoulder.

When Leonard got his breath back, he rubbed Sheldon's arm slowly, smiling. He knew exactly what the man was going through. There was nothing like the first time inside another person, and the orgasm you got from it was explosive compared to one from a blowjob or handjob. 'You alright, Shelly?' he asked softly.

'Fine,' Sheldon managed, and he slid out of Leonard gently. The smaller man felt slight prickles of pain, and he knew he was going to feel a whole lot worse in the morning. But it didn't matter, sex with Sheldon was worth the discomfort. Sheldon flopped onto the mattress beside him, and after a few moments he rolled over and opened his bedside table draw. He pulled out an inhaler and passed it to Leonard, who took it gratefully. 'I always keep one on me for emergencies,' Sheldon was staring up at the ceiling when he said this, so he didn't see the loving smile tug at Leonard's lips.

'I love you,' Leonard rolled over, ignoring the discomfort, and pressed a kiss to Sheldon's collarbone. He received a contented hum in response.

After they had cleaned up, Leonard went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. He stopped short when he saw his mother sitting on the couch, reading. She looked up when he entered and she raised an eyebrow. 'I see you and Sheldon have finished having sex,' she observed bluntly. Leonard's eyes widened and his cheeks darkened, but he was too shocked to respond. 'For someone who claims to not believe in god, he certainly cried out to him enough times,' Beverly stated dryly.

Leonard cleared his throat a couple of times, looking away. 'Mother, I really don't want to-' he was cut off when Howard burst through the door. The tiny man took one look at him and yelled over his shoulder,

'I was right! They have finished!'

To Leonard's astonishment, Howard was followed in by Raj, Missy and Penny, who all plonked themselves down and grinned at him. 'Sooo,' Penny was trying hard not to giggle. 'How was it? Is Dr Doom good in bed?'

'What the hell are you guys doing here?' Leonard exclaimed, crossing his arms. He was way too tired to deal with this right now.

'I heard Sheldon shove you against the door right after I left and guessed you guys were about to get freaky,' Penny winked at him. 'So I texted Wolowitz to tell him the good news and he and Raj ended up coming over.'

Normally, Penny would rather throw up than text Howard, but now that he wasn't always hitting on her or being generally creepy, she didn't mind him all that much. Besides, as she had found out, he was fun to talk with while they guessed how long Sheldon would last in bed. 'So? How good is he?' Howard grinned.

'It's none of your business!' Leonard glared at them. 'It's completely rude to wait in your apartment until we're finished and then come bursting in asking for details!'

'Leonard?' Sheldon had wandered in from his room, drawn by the commotion. 'What's going on?'

'Go to bed, Sheldon,' Leonard snapped. 'This doesn't concern you.'

Okay, it kind of did, but he'd spoken without thinking, and he couldn't really take it back now. His boyfriend looked bewildered but did as he was told, too physically exhausted to argue. Taking a look at the faces grinning at him, Leonard felt completely exhausted as well. 'You know what, I'm going to bed too,' he grumbled, grabbing a bottle of water. 'You lot better be gone by the time I get up!' he called over his shoulder as he stomped back into Sheldon's room.

Sheldon was already in bed, but there was no way he was asleep. The smaller man stripped to his boxers, set the bottle down on the bedside table and then slid underneath the covers. Sheldon shifted and wrapped an arm around him, and Leonard let his forehead rest on the man's shoulder. It was so much easier to fall asleep with Sheldon than when he was alone.

'Good night.'

Xoxoxo

**And that, dear readers, is the end.**

**Oh, there's that promised epilogue to come, don't panic!**

**I've got a vague idea for what goes in the epilogue, hopefully you guys will love it. Many thanks to my best friend Ashlee for helping me the whole way through this story. Me love you long time.**

**A billion thank you's for the wonderful reviews I've gotten, and to the amazing readers who've stuck with me from chapter 1. You guys kept me going. **

**Stick around for the epilogue, and keep an eye out for that side story! It'll be full of slashy goodness! **


	10. Epilogue

**And this, dear readers, is the end. This is the last chapter I will ever post on this story. It makes me a little sad. But onwards!**

**Also, I just realized that although this is under Sheldon/Leonard, its got quite a lot of Howard/Raj. I apologize if that's annoying!**

Xoxoxo

In the three and a half years Howard had been dating Raj, he'd realized two things. He would never love anyone the way he loved his boyfriend, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. There was just one tiny problem- gay marriage was still illegal in Pasadena. When he'd come to the conclusion he wanted to marry Raj and realized he couldn't, he grew moody, snapping at people for no reason and spending a lot of time by himself. Raj knew something was up, but try as he might, he couldn't get the tiny man to spill the beans. Surprisingly, it was Penny who ended up dragging the truth out of him.

'Alright,' the woman snapped as she stepped up to the park bench Howard was sitting on, crossing her arms and glaring at him. 'I just spent two hours looking for your sorry ass when I could have been back at my apartment with Paul, so either you tell me what's wrong or I'll be very, very annoyed.'

'Nothing's wrong,' Howard replied in a neutral tone, having said the exact same thing many many times before.

'You're sitting in the park alone and probably have been for hours,' Penny growled. 'You're in a thin turtle neck and shirt, and its absolutely freezing out here. You're either upset or crazy, so what's it going to be, Wolowitz?'

Howard glared up at her, but he wasn't really angry. Just tired. So, so tired of how angry he got every day over the injustice of it all. His glare faded and he sighed, glancing away. 'Fine, whatever, you caught me. Can I be alone now?'

'Howard,' her voice softened as she sat on the bench next to him. For a moment she marveled at how much closer they had grown over the three and a bit years he and Raj had been together. Because she hadn't been afraid of him trying to get into her pants, she'd ended up hanging out with him and Raj more. She found she was genuinely concerned for him. 'Sweetie, Raj is beside himself with worry. What's got you so down?'

'You really want to know?' Howard asked, glancing at her. Penny smiled and nodded. He considered just spinning some sort of lie but he needed to get this off his chest. He was sick of feeling depressed all the time when he should be happy. 'I want to have a normal life. I want to get married, you know? But I can't,' he let out a sigh, glanced up at the sky that was rapidly darkening. 'Gay marriage is illegal here.'

'Oh, sweetie,' Penny reached out and placed a hand on his arm, rubbing in a way she hoped was soothing. 'I understand why you've been so moody now. It's so unfair for you.'

Howard grunted, neither replying or pulling away. He could always get married to Raj in a country where it was legal but why should he? He shouldn't have to leave just because he was with a guy. He'd always wanted his wedding to be here, in Pasadena, where his mother was, where his friends were. Why couldn't he have this one thing?

Penny frowned slightly, squeezing his arm to get his attention. 'Howard, look. Gay marriage is illegal here, yes, but with the way the world's going at the moment, it won't be for too much longer. You've only been with Raj for three and a bit years, you can wait a couple more, can't you?'

'I guess,' the man continued to watch the sky, ignoring the cold seeping into his bones. 'But I want our relationship to have a more serious label, you know what I mean? Plenty of people have called Raj their boyfriend,' he paused, added, 'despite his mutism.' There was a flicker of a smile. 'But I want to be able to call him my husband.'

'Well, how about fiancé?' Penny smiled at him. 'Its not illegal to get engaged, you know. Why don't you propose now, and you guys can get married as soon as its legal?'

'And what if it takes to long?' Howard was beginning to like the idea of getting engaged now, but for some reason he wanted to push it away. It was like when you're upset and people cheer you up. For some reason you just didn't want to feel happy, and wanted to mope around. Howard felt like that now. He grasped at straws. 'I can't wait forever, you know.'

'Well, then you move to plan B,' Penny grinned at him. 'Just go to another country. I know its unfair and getting married here is ideal, but would you rather be angry at the government and not be married, or just deal with it, go to another country and be married?'

Howard let out a long breath. Despite himself, he felt hope starting to grow inside him. Maybe this would work. At any rate, he'd already decided what to do. 'You're right,' the hope filled him up, firing up the energetic side of him that had laid dormant for weeks. He stood from the bench, shook off the cold. 'I'll do that. I'm going to go buy an engagement ring.'

'Good for you, Howard,' Penny stood with him, pleased with herself. 'Now come on, lets get out of this cold. I'll drive you home, seeing as you walked here.'

'No, no,' Howard was almost jumping with the sudden rush of energy now, and he walked quickly towards where Penny's car was parked. 'I want to buy it now.'

'Really?' Penny blinked, following him. 'But, Howard, rings cost a lot of money, and this is all rather sudden, don't you think?'

They reached the car and Howard turned to her as she unlocked it. 'I love him,' he stared at her, willing her to understand. 'There's no one else I want to be with. I already know this is what I want. Why should I wait?'

'Well, alright...' Penny glanced away, a little put off by the intensity in his eyes. 'But what about money?'

'I lived with my mother for thirty one years, Penny,' Howard's lips twitched into a small grin as he slid into the passengers seat. The blonde woman climbed in on her side and started the car. 'I never had to pay rent, or anything like that. I've got plenty in my savings account, certainly enough for a ring.'

'Okay, okay,' Penny gave in, smiling. She pulled out onto the road. 'Where do you want to go?'

'Take a right at the end of this street,' Howard directed. 'I know the perfect place.'

Xoxoxo

'Where the hell have you been?' Raj snapped as Howard opened the door to their apartment. The Indian man was sitting on the couch, and had been waiting for some time now. He paused the movie he had been watching in order to glare at his boyfriend without any distractions. 'Do you have any idea what time it is?'

'I'm sorry,' Howard moved over and sat next to him. He was wearing considerably looser pants than usual, and thus his hand was in his pocket without any trouble, his fingers running over the velvet of the little box inside. 'It took me a while to get what I wanted.'

'What you wanted?' Raj sniffed, taking a good look at Howard. He found it strange that the man was so upbeat. It had been a while since he'd seen him smile without Raj having to really work at cheering him up. But Raj was still too pissed off to let this go. 'You want to know what I want, Howard? A boyfriend who actually tells me what's up, and doesn't ditch me for hours at a time without any warning.'

'I'm sorry,' Howard repeated, his free hand reaching out to grip Raj's. The Indian man glared but didn't pull away. 'Look, I know I've been a dick lately and I feel really bad about it. I got you something.'

Raj stared at him warily, his eyes narrowing. 'I've said this before, buying me something pretty won't make our problems go away.'

'I think this might be the exception,' Howard pulled the box out of his pocket, placed it into Raj's hand. 'Open it.'

Raj's eyes were wide, and he slowly opened the box. A gold ring sat inside, unadorned with gems but beautiful in any case. He stared at it for several moments in silence, then looked up at Howard, who was watching him. 'Howard...' he started softly. 'Is this...?'

'An engagement ring?' the smaller man smiled. 'Yes, it is. And if I get my way, it'll become a wedding ring. Raj, will you marry me?'

Raj ran a shaking finger over the cool metal of the ring. He'd hardly expected weeks of Howard pushing him away and snapping at him to end in a proposal. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Howard's lips, before pulling away. 'Of course I will. I love you.'

He held out the ring for Howard to put it on his finger, but the man grinned and shook his head. 'Look on the inside of it.' Confused, Raj glanced at the inside of the ring and saw tiny writing engraved there. _My love, my heart, my soul._

'It's beautiful,' Raj knew he sounded girly, but right then he didn't care. He could hardly believe this was happening. But as Howard slid the ring onto his finger and found that it fit perfectly, he knew that this was real. And it was the happiest moment of his life so far.

Xoxoxo

'Congratulations,' Leonard held the phone to his ear, stretched out on his and Sheldon's bed, tracing little patterns on Sheldon's side idly. 'I can't believe after two weeks of moping he just suddenly pops the question.'

'I know, right?' Raj's voice sounded in his ear, happy and content. 'But it gets me thinking. Penny's been married for around four months now, Howard and I are now engaged, when are you and Sheldon going to tie the knot?'

Leonard laughed, shaking his head even though he knew his friend wouldn't be able to see it. 'Are you kidding me? Can you imagine Sheldon married?'

'To you, I can,' Raj snickered quietly. 'Have you had any thoughts at all for the future concerning you two?'

'Not really,' Leonard rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear Sheldon moving around in the kitchen. 'But I always kind of knew if we got engaged, it would be me who asked, and,' he paused, grinning, 'that I would use the one ring we found at the garage sale to do it.'

'Really?' Raj asked. 'You'd use that?'

'Of course,' Leonard smiled. 'It fits the appearance of a standard wedding ring, and it's a prop from a movie he loves. Why wouldn't I use it?'

'Good point,' Raj laughed. Leonard heard Howard's voice in the background. After a moment, Raj spoke up again. 'Sorry, dude, gotta go. Howard and I are meeting Bernadette for coffee. See you later.'

'Okay, have fun,' Leonard waited until he heard beeping before ending the call and setting the phone on the bedside table. After a few moments of relaxing, he finally dragged himself up and pulled on his robe and glasses as he walked into the kitchen. Sheldon was standing at the island, pouring a bowl of cereal. Leonard stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. 'Good morning.'

'Good morning,' Sheldon replied, setting the box of cereal back on top of the fridge and grabbing the milk. 'Who was on the phone?'

'Raj,' Leonard started preparing his own bowl, grinning at Sheldon. 'Guess what he told me.'

'Any number of things, I expect,' Sheldon shrugged, taking his bowl over to the couch and sitting down.

Leonard rolled his eyes, but it didn't deter him. He followed and sat beside Sheldon with his own cereal. 'Howard proposed to him last night, so they're officially engaged.'

'Really?' Sheldon paused, about to turn on the TV to watch Doctor Who. He glanced over at Leonard. 'I suppose social protocol dictates that I congratulate them at some point.'

'Yes,' Leonard grinned into his bowl.

Xoxoxo

Penny tapped her fingers on the white sink impatiently, her perfectly manicured fingernails making a clicking sound everytime they made contact. She was jittery, unable to focus on anything, but when she glanced down at her hand and the rings caught her eyes, she couldn't help but smile. She was married.

She had never thought she would be the type to be tied down. Maybe when she was thirty, certainly not in her twenties. But she loved Paul with every part of her soul, and after three years of dating she wanted to be with him in every way. He was the one. She knew it everytime they kissed, everytime he smiled at her. She didn't mind that her clubbing days were over- she'd had enough partying to last a lifetime. And hopefully, they would be able to start a family. Some might say they were rushing into things but she didn't think so.

She looked away from her rings to the tiny little strip that lay on the bench. Her breath caught in her throat and she picked it up to look even closer. The strip was white, except for two pink horizontal lines. She scrambled for the instructions that had come with the pregnancy test to make sure. 'Two lines means...'

She dropped the instructions along with the white strip and ran out of her bathroom, snatching up her phone and pressing speed dial. After a few rings there was a click and the familiar voice she loved. 'Penny? Is everything alright?'

'We did it!' she screeched, jumping up and down. She began to cry, laughing at the same time, causing little hiccups. 'I'm pregnant!'

'That's great!' he sounded excited, and she heard rustling in the background. 'Should I come home?'

'No, you have work,' she smiled through her tears. 'But bring something special home for dinner, okay?'

'Will do. I love you.'

'I love you too,' she put down the phone, still filled with an amazing amount of energy. Grinning, she hurried over to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and threw open the door. They were sitting on the couch, rather closely, watching some kind of anime. They both looked up when she entered, and she flung herself into Leonard's arms, who looked rather surprised as he patted her back.

'Penny? What's wrong?'

She pulled back and hugged Sheldon, and he looked incredibly uncomfortable. Even after all this time, he still couldn't handle much physical contact from anyone other than his family and Leonard.

Penny sat on the couch between them, wiping at her wet face even as she fought off giggles. 'I'm pregnant!' she announced happily.

'Congratulations,' Sheldon replied. 'Does your husband know yet?

'Yep, I called him just before,' her smile faded and she looked sad. 'Only, this means we're going to have to move out and live somewhere suitable for children.'

Leonard reached out and took her hand. He was a little overwhelmed by it all. If someone had told him four years ago that Raj and Howard were engaged, that he and Sheldon were together and that Penny was married and pregnant, he wouldn't have believed them. But here they were, and as Penny leaned into his embrace and Sheldon hesitantly patted her shoulder, Leonard found that he couldn't be happier. 'You and Paul can come and visit us as much as you want, you know,' he told her. 'And the baby, when it comes.'

'I know,' she smiled at him, resting her head on his shoulder. 'Maybe I'll invite all four of you guys over every now and again, and it'll be just like old times.'

'What will you be serving?' Sheldon queried, looking worried.

'I don't know, Sheldon,' Penny let out a laugh, the man's quirks pulling her out of her melancholy mood. She found it a little funny she had gone from excited to sad in a few moments. Maybe the pregnancy hormones were already kicking in. 'It won't be for a while.'

'But why not?'

'All in good time, Sheldon,' Penny shook her head, grinning. 'All in good time.'

Xoxoxo

They were sitting on the edge of their bed in the room that had previously been Sheldon's but was now their's, early in the evening. Leonard had his head resting on Sheldon's shoulder, their breathing in sync, with his eyes tightly closed. Sheldon, after years of being emotionally bonded with the short man in his arms, knew Leonard was feeling sad, and was doing everything he could think of to cheer the man up. Which, of course, consisted of rubbing his back soothingly and murmuring, 'there, there.'

Penny had officially moved into her new house that day, and it was on the other side of town, meaning it would be hard to find time to visit. Her old apartment was far from empty however, it still held many boxes that needed to be moved. It would be a while until it would be rented out again. Leonard knew it was silly to feel so sad, it wasn't as if he was still in love with the woman. He was happy with Sheldon and always would be. But he couldn't help but think of all the things he'd been through with her, and because of her, and it made him ache. It was a little like when he graduated from high school, and his very few friends went their separate ways.

'Sheldon?' he asked after a few moments, his voice muffled because his mouth was pressed against the taller man's shoulder.

'Yes?'

'Do you think we'd be together if it weren't for her?'

Sheldon didn't have to ask who he meant. He hummed low in his throat as he thought, rubbing Leonard's back rhythmically. The smaller man's hands were clutched in his shirt, twisting the fabric, and it was a little cute. Sheldon still hated the word cute, but sometimes it was the only word that did Leonard justice when he was in these moods. 'Maybe. It was Howard and Rajesh getting together that caused the start of our relationship, but Penny did help it along.'

Leonard nuzzled Sheldon's neck, trying to disperse the weird mood he was stuck in. 'I can't imagine life without her.'

'You don't have to, she's not dead,' Sheldon scolded gently, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Fed up, he gripped Leonard's chin and lifted it. 'Good lord, you're being silly.' there was a pause where Leonard's eyes widened and he frowned, insulted, but Sheldon kissed him before he could protest.

When they broke apart, the sadness had vanished, and Leonard grinned up at him. 'I love you.'

'Hmm.'

Xoxoxo

The last boxes had finally been taken away, and as the four men stared at the empty apartment across from them, they thought back to the day they had first met the bright young woman who had, until recently, lived there. They were going to miss the times spent with her in that apartment, times spent with just the five of them.

'Oh, guys!' Penny appeared at the top of the stairs and they all glanced at her slightly rounded stomach automatically. 'I forgot something.'

She reached out and hugged all four of them tightly as they said their goodbyes, and they all found it weird when her belly pressed against them. She kissed their cheeks, lingering ever so slightly on Leonard's. 'I'll miss you,' she told him, smiling.

She started down the stairs again, but stopped and looked back over her shoulder at the four boys who were watching her.

'Goodbye.'

Xoxoxo

**And there we go, its finally finished. It makes me a little sad... I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Sorry about the ending, I had no idea what to write.**

**Look out for the one-shot I'm writing right now.**

**Please review and tell me what you thought. Thank you everyone who has been with me from the start, and those who joined us along the way. **

**I'll miss you guys!**


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